Harry Potter  The Vampire Lord
by F u R o X
Summary: After Harry's third year, Summer brings changes that turn his life around, and he starts his journey to become the best Vampire Lord that the world has seen. Powerful/Smart Harry. Vampire! Harry. Harry/Multi. H/Hr/Daphne/Tonks
1. Chapter 1

**HARRY POTTER AND THE VAMPIRE LORD**

**CHAPTER 1**

Harry Potter was currently sitting the train, going back to his house, having completed his third year at Hogwarts. He definitely wasn't looking forward to spending any amount of time with the Dursley's; he wanted to spend his time with his newly found Godfather, Sirius Black. If it weren't for Snape, he could have lived with him for the summers. Thinking about Snape worsened his already bad mood, and trying to find a distraction, he looked around in the compartment that he was sitting in.

There was Ron Weasley, his first friend. He was currently sitting on the bench opposite to him, looking bored, a stupid expression on his face, occasionally picking his nose and then admiring his snot covered finger. Harry barely repressed his disgusted shudder. Harry hated to admit it, but sometimes he grated on his nerves with his attitude. He had been deeply betrayed by him in second year when he had been accused of being the Heir of Slytherin, although Ron had told him that he didn't believe him, it wasn't hard to notice the barely disguised fear and loathing that had shown in his eyes, his true feelings on the matter. Harry had ignored it at the time, fearing that if he called him out on it, he would lose his friendship. He had regretted it this past year, it wasn't obvious but he had been barely tolerating his presence, and he wasn't inclined to put up with it anymore.

Turning his head to the right, he looked at his second friend, Hermione Granger. She was sitting with a book held in front of her face, throwing disgusted glances at Ron's antics seemingly trying to inch father away from him. Harry smiled at her behaviour. He could truly say that he enjoyed her company, she was always there to help him through any problem that he had. He had been truly scared when she had been petrified. He would spend some time each day sitting by her side, talking about his day reading her the assignments, which she had missed. The past year, after her fighting with Ron she would often come to him, and would vent her frustrations at Ron. They would talk together about anything, and they would always part ways with a hug and Hermione thanking him for putting up with her. He would wave it off and told her that he enjoyed spending time with her. Eventually, they met up every day, regardless of the fact if Hermione had a fight or not. They talked about their day, and she told him about her life before Hogwarts. Harry had also told her about the Dursley's, not in detail, but enough that Hermione was shocked that relatives could treat each other this way. She had promised that she would talk to her parents and ask if he could spend some time at her house this summer. It was the only thing that he was looking forward to, in his otherwise disastrous summer vacations.

She had also been instrumental in helping him in saving Sirius. He had never been so proud of her before; knowing that she was breaking several laws by her actions, and abusing the responsibility that had been given to her; she had still helped him break out Sirius from Hogwarts. She truly was his best friend.

"What are you reading Hermione?" Harry asked scooting closer to her.

"Oh, this is our text book for Transfiguration for next year. I was just skimming through it, looking at the things that we are supposed to learn next year." Hermione replied.

"Bloody hell Hermione, we haven't even started our summer vacation and you are already studying! Can't you stop studying every minute of your life?" Ron asked, shuddering at the thought of studying during summers.

"Mind your language Ron, I happen to enjoy studying about the magical world, and happen to find it fascinating." Hermione replied, glaring daggers at the boy.

Before Ron could continue the argument, Harry said, "Lay off, Ron." Stopping him from making it a big argument. He knew that Hermione was at her wits end with the red headed boy.

"So what do we have in our course next year?" Harry asked, genuinely interested.

Hermione looked surprised at Harry's genuine interest, but soon a smile blossomed on her face.

"We're supposed to be starting Cross-Species transfiguration." Said Hermione excitedly, she flipped her book a few pages back she began telling him the things that she had read thus far. Noticing Harry craning his neck towards the book, she placed her book closer to Harry so that he could also look into it.

"Now you're corrupting Harry as well." Ron whined.

The two of them didn't look up from the book, ignoring Ron's comment, pointing out to each other things that they thought was fascinating. Both of them had spent a scant few years in the Wizarding world and couldn't help but find their new powers amazing.

Unnoticed by the both of them Ron cast one disgusted glance at them and left the compartment.

The two teens spent the rest of the train ride home going over the book. Harry was the first one to notice that Ron was not in the compartment, he shrugged, figuring that he had to answer nature's call.

He relaxed back into the seat, his mind again drifting to thoughts about the coming summer.

"Harry?" Hermione asked softly, getting his attention.

"Hmm . . .?"

"You obviously are smarter that your grades implicate. I've noticed this for a while now, and have been trying to figure this out for a while. You don't need to have your assignments looked over, but you still ask me to. You always get a spell faster than anyone that I have seen, but you don't do that in class. It's like you are intentionally holding back in class." Hermione asked a cute; Harry thought startlingly; on her face.

Harry sighed.

"You're right Hermione." Harry admitted.

Hermione appeared surprised at his candidness.

"But, it's not that I choose to do it. As you know, ever since I was small, I was always bullied by Dudley. The Dursley's would always punish me if I got better grades than their precious Dudley, so I had to get only passable grades. Eventually the teachers also starting handing out detentions to help me improve. Ever since then I have a hard time trusting teachers, and to a lesser extent adults in general. I had thought that I would be able to break out of my habit at Hogwarts, but with Ron acting as he was, I stayed the same, afraid to lose my first friend." Harry said quietly, looking down at his lap.

Hedwig, Harry's snowy owl, perched up in the racks above Harry, hooted softly and fluttered down to sit on Harry's lap. She softly nipped at his fingers. Harry chuckled softly, and started petting her and scratching her head, looking at the owl lovingly.

Hermione simply stared at Harry's interaction with his owl. She had never seen Harry look at something so caringly, so _lovingly_, before. She had known that Harry was close with his owl, he would make a point to visit Hedwig in the owlery at least once every day, and when he wasn't able to make it, Hedwig would undoubtedly seek him out in the common room, as if making sure that he was alright. Looking at them now, she couldn't help but wonder if she could mean the same to him someday. She suddenly realized that she was comparing herself to an owl, and was actually a bit jealous of it. Trying to distract herself from her thoughts, she stared at the book still lying in her lap, turning the pages, reading nothing.

She was hesitant to voice her thoughts, but finding the courage, she looked at Harry.

"Harry, you have to know that it isn't healthy for you to curb your education." Hermione said hesitantly.

"I know and realize that now. The Wizarding world is more dangerous than the world we grew up in, and looking at it from my point of view, even more so for me. But I was trying to find acceptance, somewhere to belong, for the first time in my life. I thought that with Ron as my friend, I had, but now . . ."

He abruptly stopped, leaving Hermione hanging on his words.

"Now . . .?" Hermione prompted, softly, knowing that it must be incredibly hard for him.

"I need to grow up Hermione, I have to realize that no matter how much I want it to be, the Weasleys aren't my real family. They have their own family to take care of. I have Sirius, but he is a convicted felon, I need to make it in the world on my own." Harry finished sadly.

Hermione was incensed. "Harry James Potter, how dare you think that!"

Harry was jolted out of his morose thoughts. He looked sideways at Hermione, and was surprised to find her eyes a bit teary. Before he knew it, Hermione was hugging him tightly. Hedwig squawked as she was almost crushed between the two of them, and took flight landing on the racks.

"You aren't alone Harry, you never will be. I'll always be by your side Harry, even if you want me to or not. You are my only one true friend Harry, and I'll do anything to help you." Hermione said, her words muffled by Harry's shoulder.

"But Ron . . ." Harry croaked, his eyes stinging, overwhelmed with emotions.

Hermione let go of the death grip she had around Harry, but still kept her hands around his chest. She was distracted from her train of thoughts as she noticed Harry's eyes in such close proximity to hers. It really was the deepest emerald green eyes that she had ever seen.

"Ron was never truly my friend Harry, an acquaintance at best. This past year I have realized that I can no longer tolerate his brash attitude, and immaturity anymore. The only reason that I was civil to him was because he was your friend Harry. I didn't want to make you choose between me and him. I was . . . I was . . . afraid that you would choose him over me, I don't know what I would have done if that would have happened. I can't lose you as my friend Harry. You are much too important to me." Hermione sniffled.

Harry smiled and brought his hand up to wipe away the stray tears on her cheeks with his thumb. Hermione blushed under Harry's intimate action, and was honestly surprised at his forwardness. Harry had never been one to initiate contact with anyone. She still remembered the first time she had hugged him, and his stiff reaction.

"You silly, silly girl. Don't you realize that you are much more important to me than Ron, you always have been. If it came down to a choice, I would have always chosen you without hesitation." Harry said softly, honesty shining in his eyes.

Hermione smiled brilliantly up at him. Happiness seemed to practically bleed off of her. She gave Harry a huge hug, muttered a grateful 'Thank You' and sat back on the bench, her hips precariously close to Harry's.

Ron ambled back in their compartment just as the train pulled into King's Cross station. The three of them got down at the station. Ron didn't wait for them and crossed the barrier into the muggle world. Harry and Hermione followed him through and Hermione began looking around, searching for her parents.

Harry spotted Uncle Vernon at once. He was standing a good distance from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, eyeing them suspiciously, and when Mrs. Weasley hugged Harry in greeting, his worst suspicions about them seemed to be confirmed.

In that time, Hermione had spotted her parents and tugged on Harry's sleeve, urging him to follow her. Harry followed her through the crowd, and came to stop in front of Hermione's parents. Hermione immediately bounded into her mother's waiting arms, mother and daughter reuniting after a long time. She hugged her father after detaching herself from her mother, and tugged on his hand bringing them towards Harry.

Stopping in front of Harry, they moved aside, to keep away from the crowd.

"Harry these are my parents. My daddy, Dr. Daniel Granger and my mum Dr. Emma Granger." She said pointing them out as she introduced them. "Mum, Dad this is my friend Harry, Harry Potter." She finished.

Harry held out his hands and shook hands with Dan and Emma, muttering greetings politely.

"Harry, I have to say it's nice to finally meet you in person. Hermione talks to us about you constantly, it's good to see that she is making some good friends." Dan said cheerfully, apparently unaware of his blushing daughter glaring holes at the back of his head.

"She's a great person Mr. Granger, I'm lucky to call her my friend." Harry replied shyly.

"That she is." Dan said with a fond glance at Hermione's blushing form.

Emma smiled at seeing her daughter acting in such a fashion. This way the first time that she acted like a girl her age should. Emma loved her daughter, but she couldn't help but be disappointed by her lack of friends. Seeing her letters going on and on about how much fun she was having at school with her friends, helped her with the loneliness of having her daughter away at school for most of the year.

After shaking Harry's hands she brought up a topic that she intended to be a surprise for their daughter.

"Harry, Hermione asked us in one of her letters if you could stay at our place sometime this summer." Emma said a serious expression on her face.

"Yes Mrs. Granger, I know." Harry replied a little confused.

Hermione, who was talking to her father, snapped up her head at her mother and walked towards her, a pleading expression on her face. Apparently, she was the authority on such matters.

"Can he please come over mum, please?" She said.

Emma milked the situation for all it was worth, looking at her daughter's pleading expression and Harry's neutral one amusedly.

"Sure." She said smiling widely, unable to keep her face serious any longer.

"Thank you." Hermione repeated the same two words over and over again, giving her mum a huge hug.

"Calm down Hermione dear. Now Harry, we would like to talk with your relatives about setting a time so that it doesn't clash with any plans that they may have made." Emma said, unaware that, Hermione's face had changed expressions abruptly.

Harry winced.

Before Hermione could explain to her mum about Harry's relationship with his relatives, she was interrupted by a loud and angry cry.

"BOY!"

Vernon Dursley was charging up to their position, looking the part of a stampeding elephant.

"What do you think you are playing at boy! We have been waiting here to pick you up from that dratted school of yours to drag your ungrateful ass back, and what do we get for our troubles? You ignore us go socializing. Get your stuff. We're leaving NOW!" Vernon said in clipped tones, his fists clenched in anger, his face an alarming shade of red.

"Uncle Vernon. . ." Harry started.

"Don't talk back to me boy! Wait until we're home, I'll teach you how I handle spoiled brats like you." Saying that, Vernon grabbed the back of Harry's shirt, and steered him towards his car.

The Grangers stood at their places, shocked to see Harry treated this way. Dan was the first one to regain his senses and followed them through the station. The way that Harry's relatives treated him was alarming; he needed to make sure that Harry would be alright. Rushing through the crowd, he stamped his foot on the pavement, when he realized that he had lost them.

"Damnit!" he cursed, and turned around walking back to his family.

Harry was sitting in the back of Vernon's car, anger bubbling inside him. If he wanted to grow up and live his life, he couldn't allow his uncle to treat him this way.

As Vernon drew his car into the driveway, Harry's nervousness increased. Steeling himself for the inevitable confrontation, Harry got out of the car.

"Get in freak! , before the neighbours see you." Vernon shoved Harry into the house.

The sight that greeted him was something that he had rarely seen. Petunia and Dudley were standing in the hall, facing the couch, their faces unnaturally pale.

Vernon steeped into the house after Harry, and noticed the duo as well.

"Petunia, what's going on?" Vernon asked.

It was just then that Harry noticed the back of a man's head jutting above the couch.

The man stood up and smiled roguishly at them.

"Ah . . . Dursley, remember me?" he asked.

Harry's nerves left him in an instant. He released a breath of air that he wasn't aware he was holding.

"Hey there pup, fancy meeting you here." Sirius said lifting up his arms.

"SIRIUS!" Harry shouted happily, giving him a hug, thumping him on the back.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you risking being caught?" Harry asked as his mind settled down and he was capable of rational thought again.

"Yeah, but I figured I would have a nice little chat with your relatives before I went on my way. I haven't got a lot of time, wouldn't want Dementors swooping around here now would we?" Sirius said with a chuckle.

"Now . . . first things first. Ground rules, don't get in my godson's way, you are not to assign him chores, or do your work for you. If you treat him in any way that can be considered impolite," at this he dug his hands into his cloak and brought out what appeared to be an antique watch, out "this nifty little thing here, will inform me at once, and then there will be three less people inhabiting the earth. Do I make myself clear?" Sirius asked.

The three Dursleys were cowering in fear. They recognized him as the same criminal for whom the warning had been flashed in the news last summer. Remembering that he had been convicted for multiple murders, the Dursleys nodded their heads emphatically.

"Pleasure doing business with you." Sirius bowed his head mockingly, an insane grin plastered on his face.

Harry could barely control his laughter at Sirius's antics; he coughed slightly to cover up an escaped chuckle, and hurriedly escorted Sirius to his room.

"That was brilliant." Harry laughed. "Did you see the look on their faces? Simply priceless."

"I aim to please." Sirius said.

"So what does the watch really do?" Harry asked, curious.

"What makes you think it doesn't do exactly what I told them it does?" Sirius asked seriously.

Harry gave him a deadpan look.

"Ho. . . Not so easy to fool are you?" Sirius asked rhetorically.

Harry shook his head amusedly.

"Honestly? I have no clue what the watch does; I nicked it off an antique store on the way here. But hey . . . they don't know that do they?" Sirius asked.

"Thank you Sirius, you don't know how much you have helped me." Harry said.

"You are Padfoot's godson pup, you gotta have some privileges." Sirius smiled.

"I hate to cut this short Harry, but I wasn't kidding about the Dementors. I need to leave as soon as possible." Sirius said sadly.

"I understand." Harry gave him a hug muttering a whispered 'Stay safe', as he watched him transform into a dog and jump out the window, bounding away.

He heard the phone ringing, and was surprised when his Aunt called him.

"Potter, there is a phone call for you." She said, her revulsion plain.

He was confused thinking about who would be calling him, but couldn't help the thought, 'Life just got a whole lot better.'

A/N: For those people who have read my story with the same title, don't get confused, I decided that it needed a re-write and came up with this idea. I will be using the same ideas as in the previous one, just the story starts differently. Thanks for reading and Please Review.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter

**Warnings: **Violence , and Mature Themes.

**Chapter 2**

Hermione was having a hard time trying to let go of her mother's arm as she saw her father run after Harry's uncle. The pair of women, stood there waiting for Dan to come back. As he came into view, Emma was the first one to notice his tense body. Hermione pried herself free from her mother's grip and began asking rapid questions to her father.

Dan held up his hand to stop the stream of questions being thrown his way. Looking over at his wife, he said in a sombre tone, "I lost him in the rush."

Hermione took a few deep calming breaths, analysing their situation. Sighing after some time, she looked at her parents who were looking at her worriedly.

"I have Harry's telephone number. We should get home and try contacting him; I can't believe I don't know where he lives. Anyway, he probably won't be home for at least a few hours. The best we can do is get home and pray that what we saw was the worst to see." Hermione said, tears in her eyes.

"I'm sure that Harry will be alright honey." Emma said wrapping the weeping girl in her arms.

They made their way to the car, and Dan drove them home. Emma sat in the back seat with her daughter, comforting her throughout her journey. As they arrived home, Emma fixed up her daughter's face as they had relatives over and it would embarrass Hermione to be seen with tear tracks running down her cheeks.

Hermione entered her house and was immediately amidst a cacophony of greetings and well wishes. Hermione had nothing against her relatives, but she couldn't bring herself to care one bit about them right now, her thought occupied only by Harry. As soon as she was able to, she excused herself and practically ran to the telephone, picked it up and dashed to her room. She dialled the number that she had committed to memory as soon as Harry had given it to her last summer.

Hearing the dial tone ringing, her frustration grew with every ring that went unanswered. Just as she thought that there was no one home, someone answered the phone.

"Hello?" a gruff male voice was heard.

"Hello, this is Hermione Granger. Could I talk to Harry please?" She asked politely.

"Hermione! Harry's not home yet, is something the matter?" asked the still unidentified voice.

"I'm sorry, but who is this?" Hermione asked, totally confused.

"Come on! You just saw my handsome face barely a week ago, and you have forgotten me already!" the voice chuckled.

Connecting dots in her mind rapidly, she came to an impossible conclusion.

"Sirius! Is that you?" Hermione asked.

"Hahaha. So is there any reason for your call? It sounded urgent." Sirius said.

So Hermione told him of the happenings of this afternoon at King's Cross.

"I had a feeling that Harry was not exactly living in an ideal living environment. It's lucky that I decided that I needed to talk to them this summer huh? Don't worry Hermione; I'll handle things with the Dursleys. Why don't you call back in a couple of hours? I'm sure Harry will be home by then." Sirius said gently.

"Sure, I'll do that. Thanks Sirius, this takes a huge amount of worry off my mind." Hermione said releasing a breath of air. Relief flooding through her body.

"Talk to you later Hermione." Sirius said and hanged up the phone.

Hermione sat there on her bed, holding the phone in her hand. A few minutes later, Emma came up to see if everything was alright. After what she had seen at the station today, she was worried about Harry too.

As she entered Hermione's room, she noticed that Hermione was sound asleep, a smile on her face, clutching the phone close to her chest. Emma smiled at seeing this, and decided that they would need to have one of their long talks sometime.

After Harry had finished talking with Hermione over the phone, reassuring her multiple times that he was indeed, fine, Harry walked back up to his room and thought about what he wanted to get accomplished this summer. As he had promised himself and Hermione for that matter, that he would try and improve his grades, he decided that a good place to start would be to revise whatever he had learnt up until now. After he had done that, he would do the assignments that had been assigned for the summer vacation. Having the immediate plan, Harry sat down with the first year Defence Against the Dark Arts (DADA) book.

Harry passed the day immersed in his books, coming down to the hall during meals and leaving immediately after. After he was sure that the Dursleys were asleep, he would go down to the hall and took the phone with him, dialling Hermione's number. The both of them talked about their day and other things well into the night, and before retiring for the night Harry replaced the phone in its usual spot.

Things continued in the same manner for a week. He had received an owl from Mrs. Weasley informing him that he and Hermione had been invited to go to the Quidditch World Cup finals, which was taking place in England this year. She had written in the letter that she had asked Ron to invite them to it, but speculated the he must have simply forgotten. Harry doubted that to be true as Ron was simply too fanatical about Quidditch to have forgotten about it. Hermione had asked for his address yesterday, and Harry had told her. He had asked why she wanted to know that, but she had brushed off his questions.

Pushing the thought out of his mind, he pondered on something else that had been bothering him.

He felt as if he was being watched. Call it intuition, or something else, but Harry had always known whenever he was being observed. He was used to the feeling at school and could ignore it, but he had never felt it when he was at the Dursleys. Thinking of getting some fresh air, he closed the Third year Transfiguration text that he was reading, and stretched. Looking out the window, he realized that he had spent at the very least, 5 hours immersed in his book. Calling Hedwig, he made his way out of the house, going towards the only park in Surrey that his cousin and his friends hadn't vandalised.

Pritchard Bartholomew grinned from his position as he watched his target leave his house. He was a relatively, 'young' Vampire, having been turned only 23 years ago. He had struggled with his new life for some time, but eventually accepted it, and now, he could honestly say that he didn't want his life to be any different. Although he admitted that not having found his Blood-Mate was disappointing, but he could deal with it, who wanted a single mate anyway when you could have beautiful girls throwing themselves at you left, right and centre. Some of the older Vampires had shook their heads at his admission, and merely told him that having your mate by your side was the most fulfilling feeling that existed in this world. He had scoffed at the idea, thinking that they were old prudes, and didn't know a thing about having fun.

Recently, he had been getting bored, and decided that he needed a new servant. Pondering long and hard, he had eventually decided on Harry Potter, 'The-Boy-Who-Lived' would make an excellent target, someone about whom he could brag about. Just imagining the precious saviour of the Wizarding World as his servant sent a pleasurable shiver up his spine.

He had been following him from King's Cross station, and had waited patiently for his quarry to leave his house. He could see that he would be unapproachable while he was inside the Blood-Wards surrounding the house. As a Vampire, he knew that any magic, which was related to blood, was not to be trifled with. Vampires used them often enough.

Silently moving through the opposite street, he kept Harry Potter in his sights. He followed him to a park that was surrounded by tall trees around its boundaries.

'Perfect' he grinned, and jumped up to take refuge in one of the trees, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

After reaching the park Harry held out his hands outwards, prompting Hedwig, and giving her a little push as she took flight. He sat down on the swing and looked at Hedwig flying in the night sky. She truly was a beautiful owl, flying around gracefully, in intricate patterns. Hedwig came down and sat on his shoulders, mindful of her sharp claws, so as to not hurt Harry. She nipped at his ears playfully, and then nudged his head towards some rats that he could see scurrying about.

"Do you want me to see you hunt Hedwig?" Harry asked, curious. Hedwig nodded her head happily. Hedwig would often bring back her hunts to him, seeking approval, before she would enjoy her meal. Harry had never really seen her actively hunting; he decided that it would be a novel experience. He was mesmerized by the efficient way that Hedwig hunted; a sudden snap of her talons, and her targets head was snapped, no blood at all. He realized that she must have always hunted this way as he had never seen her snow white feathers tinted red, she was a proud owl after all.

So riveted was Harry in his observation that he completely missed the figure creeping up to his position behind his back. He nearly jumped up in fright when he felt two hands covering his eyes, and a feminine body press up against his back, whispering an amused, "Guess who?" in his ears.

Harry tried calming down his rapid breathing, getting the blood pounding in his veins under control. He recognized the person immediately; he would recognize her voice anywhere. Deciding that payback was in order, he came up with a plan to tease his best friend.

"Cathy?" Harry asked.

"N . .No" came the reply. Harry smiled inwardly, he could hear the uncertainty in Hermione's voice. Deciding to seal the deal, Harry continued.

"Oh sorry Elliot, the both of you sound so similar, it's hard to differentiate between you two." Harry said, unable to keep a straight face and smiled widely.

Hermione noticed the smile on Harry's face and scowled. Oh, she was so going to get back at him for that.

"Harry you prat!" she screamed directly in his ears. And turned around, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Merlin! Hermione, I think I'm going to be partially deaf for the rest of my life. Did you have to be so loud?" Harry asked, shaking his head, trying to get the constant ringing in his ears under control.

"You deserved it!" Hermione said with a huff.

Harry walked up behind Hermione and hesitated, before tapping her on the shoulders. He continued to do so until Hermione turned around to face him.

"I'm sorry for teasing you Hermione, forgive me?" Harry asked, looking at her in the eyes.

Hermione sighed. She closed the distance between them and wrapped him in a hug.

"Only this time Harry." She said softly.

They walked back to the swings, each swinging on their own pace. Hedwig had finished her meal and was sitting on the rod above the swings.

"Hermione?" Harry ventured.

"Hmmm . . . ?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but what are you doing here?" Harry asked.

"I was going to surprise you, my relatives left the day before and I asked my parents if you could come over for the rest of the summer. They agreed and I left the house this morning and caught a bus till here. Unfortunately, there was a traffic jam due to an accident and I was a few hours late arriving here. I saw you walking towards the park and followed you here." Hermione said, releasing a huge sigh after her long dialogue.

"So I can come over to your house?" Harry asked excitedly.

"Yeah, we're going to have so much fun Harry." Hermione said with the same excitement as Harry.

"So what are we waiting for? Let's go! We'll pack up my things and go to your house on the Knight Bus. Come on!" saying that, Harry leapt off the swing.

Harry looked at Hermione, only to see her eyes widened in horror. Spinning around on his heels, Harry barely had time to duck the fist aimed at his chest. His breath left him, leaving him gasping on the ground.

Hermione fumbled in getting out her wand from her jeans pocket, and their attacker backhanded her across the face, throwing her to the ground, clutching her rapidly bruising cheek. Pritchard saw her reaching for her wand and stepped on her arm, applying pressure on it till she stopped her attempts. He bent down and punched her in the back of her head, hard, making her slip into unconsciousness.

He smiled and turned towards his main target. Harry was clutching his hand to his chest and slightly bent over from the pain in his chest. He was glaring at him in absolute fury, amusing Pritchard. He did like his prey feisty, after all.

"Who the hell are you?" Harry yelled at him.

"Ah. . . where are my manners. My name is Pritchard Bartholomew. I know all about you of course, Harry Potter, 'The-Boy-Who-Lived'. Saviour of the Wizarding world. Vanquisher of the Dark Lord Voldemort. And most recently . . ." Pritchard dashed forward at Harry, and punched him again. Getting behind him, he caught his arms in a death grip, and whispered in his ear, ". . . my newest servant."

Harry shivered in revulsion and fear; he tried looking back at him and caught sight of the two fangs protruding down from his upper jaws. His fear increased, he was sure that this was a Vampire that was attacking him. It would explain his inhuman strength and speed. He increased his efforts to get loose.

"Stop struggling, you'll hurt yourself. I don't like damaged servants after all." Pritchard said. Just then, Hedwig swooped down at him, screeching, her talons extended. Pritchard didn't notice her approach, and was cut deep on his hands, leaving several red marks, dripping blood. He glared at the offending creature that dared attack him, and on her second dive brought out his hands and smacked her on the ground near Hermione.

"No! Hedwig. Let me go you sick bastard." Harry yelled, hoping to attract attention towards his position. He looked around and spotted Hermione passed out. He struggled. He needed to at least save Hermione, his worry over Hedwig compounding his own.

Pritchard noticed his gaze and smirked.

"Don't worry my servant. I'm sure you will be seeing her often, she is a delectable bird after all, I might even give her to you after I get bored of her. Now, I grow impatient young Harry, let's begin shall we?" Pritchard lowered his head and bit into the side of Harry's neck.

Harry was beyond angry at hearing the Vampire utter such words. He felt a surge of magic building up in his body. But, at that very instant, his world was filled with unimaginable pain. His surge of power died down as he slipped to the ground bonelessly.

Pritchard smiled at a job well done. Looking at the unconscious girl, he walked slowly towards her, licking his lips in anticipation. He walked slowly, savouring the moment. He gently turned her over, brushing her hair out of her face.

He glanced back at the downed form of Harry, absently noticing that the grass around him seemed to be swaying in an unnatural wind. Thinking nothing about it, he gazed back at the beautiful human specimen, fantasizing about the endless hours of pleasure that he would be enjoying shortly. It would be that last coherent thought his mind would be capable of.

Pritchard felt an overwhelming amount of magical force pressing down on his being. His eyes darted back to Harry, who was still lying on the ground, his body twitching slightly. A brilliant aura of green mixed with silver and gold was glowing around Harry's body, growing stronger by the second. Harry stood up slowly, his movements sluggish, his eyes glowing emerald eerily. His scar was bleeding profusely, his blood almost blackish in appearance. A blood curling scream of pain tore itself through the clearing, yet oddly, Harry's mouth remained closed. A red aura soon joined the green one exploding out of his body. The two seemed to battle for some time, before the red aura began dimming, seemingly being absorbed into the green one. A spectral entity was dislodged, emerging from Harry's scar, and Pritchard saw that it was this being that was screaming in agony. After a while there was a brilliant flash of light and the spectre disintegrated into tiny particles of light.

Pritchard was rooted to the spot, staring at the spectacle unfolding in front of his eyes in horrified fascination. Then abruptly, the overwhelming force vanished, and along with it the green aura. Pritchard breathed in huge gulps of air, trying to recover. And then, the force slammed against him again, significantly powerful than before.

Harry's eyes still glowing green, stared directly into Pritchard's terrified eyes. The aura again started forming around his body, its colour pitch black, darker even than a moonless night, and a glowing silver specked in places. It was stronger than before, but more controlled. More menacing, deadly in its very appearance. Pritchard was trying frantically to tear his gaze away Harry's, to get away from this place as fast as possible, but his efforts were in vain. He watched as Harry made his way to him, taking long, strong strides.

Harry suddenly caught hold of his clothes and brought him face to face with him. It was then that Pritchard noticed that his eyes were glazed over. The boy was acting on pure instinct. Harry brought his hand up and punched him in the chest with all the force of a sledgehammer. Wheezing, Pritchard tried standing, but his body simply refused to obey his commands. Pain the likes of which he had never experienced before tore through his body as Harry sunk his fangs into his neck, sucking out his lifeblood. Pritchard could feel his Vampiric powers being drained away, before his mind went blank.

To an outside observer, Pritchard's body, as soon as Harry dropped him to the ground, was blown away by the wind. Harry had literally drained him dry. Looking at the unconscious figure of Hermione, his instincts still guiding him, he made his way over to her.

Harry gently and effortlessly picked up her body, and Hedwig's and carried them over to a tree, sitting down leaning against the tree, he placed her body against his chest, gently placed her hair on one side of her neck, and bit her briefly. Hermione's body gave an involuntary start, and her lips parted slightly. Harry then bit his hand, making a rather deep cut and placed his bleeding hand over her mouth. Hermione unconsciously began swallowing whatever was being offered, and soon identifying the source of nourishment, latched her mouth onto Harry's bleeding hand. After apparently Hermione had had her fill, she unlatched and rested her head on Harry's shoulder, seemingly asleep. Harry turned his attention towards Hedwig and dropped several drops of his blood into Hedwig's beak as well.

Satisfied, Harry too slumped against the tree, looking for the entire world as cuddling lovers.

Hidden deep within the mountains of Scotland was the world's finest school for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Albus Dumbledore sat in the Headmaster's office of Hogwarts thinking about the past year. The Dementors placed as a guard to protect the school against Sirius Black were recalled by the Ministry, stationed at their normal posts as the wardens of Azkaban, the Wizarding prison. Albus had just finished his daily paperwork, and was lost in his thoughts. As was often the case, his mind wandered to one of the students at his school, a certain Third Year Gryffindor.

He still remembered the Patronus that Harry had cast in order to save his Godfather. Even staying inside the castle, he was able to see the brilliant white light associated with a Patronus. He was again amazed by Harry's sheer tenacity and his power. With the events of the past 2 weeks, he was sure that he would need to hasten his plans for Harry. He was maturing much faster than he had anticipated, and that gave him more time to inform Harry about his destiny, and to properly prepare him for it. He was happy that Harry would be able to begin training earlier, as it would give him more of a fighting chance.

Hearing a distressed trill coming from his familiar Fawkes, he made his way over to him. Before he could ask what was wrong, his various instruments began spinning and emitted high pitched noises. Startled, he looked at one particular instrument, the one that informed him of the Blood-Wards that he had weaved around the Dursley household. He stared aghast, as the device turned an angry red colour before it exploded. Acting fast, he grabbed a hold of Fawkes's tail feathers and the duo disappeared in a flash of fire.

He arrived in Harry's bedroom, and noticed that Harry was missing. He closed his eyes, and extended his senses, trying to locate Harry's magical signature. His eyes snapped open as he felt a large concentration of Harry's power emanating from somewhere a few blocks away. Relaying his destination to Fawkes, they flashed to the park that Harry and Hermione were in.

The area was saturated with Harry's magic, and he could also sense a faint hint of Voldemort's own power. Growing concerned he began searching for Harry, and eventually found him slumped against one of the trees, holding Miss. Granger in his arms, both seemingly asleep. Hedwig resting in Hermione's lap.

Crouching over their forms, he waved his wand over them once, sighing in relief when he found that they were alive and seemed relatively unhurt. Deciding that leaving them here, was not in their best interests, he was about to levitate them when he caught sight of something that scared him to the bone. On both their necks, were two bite marks, a telltale sign of a Vampire attack. Deciding to deal with the new development later, he was just about to create a portkey to the Hogwarts Infirmary, when he was interrupted by a voice that he hadn't heard in a long time.

"Fancy meeting you here boy . . ."

A/N: - The plot thickens. . . .Sorry for the cliffy, but tell me how you liked this chapter. And as always, Please Review.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter

**Warnings: **Violence , and Mature Themes.

**Chapter 3**

Albus turned around and came face to face with a feminine figure clad in black robes, the hood added with and Obscuring Charm hiding her face from view. It didn't matter however, even with the Obscuring Charm in place, he recognized who was facing him. There was no one else that called _him_ a _boy_ after all.

"Lovely night isn't it?" Dumbledore asked pleasantly. Stalling for time; thinking about his options.

"Still having trouble stalling a conversation Albus? And people think that you are simply eccentric." The figure replied amusedly.

Dumbledore smiled sheepishly at being caught out like that. He never could fool his mentor.

"Why are you here Professor Perenelle?" Dumbledore asked seriously.

"The same reason as you. The Department detected a magical anomaly in this area and I decided to inspect it personally." Perenelle replied smoothly.

Dumbledore groaned inwardly. He had thought that he had gained enough experience over the years to successfully outsmart anyone in a conversation. He thought wrong; it was still as frustrating as ever to hold your own in a conversation with her.

"Harry's not ready yet." Dumbledore said, deciding to be direct. They didn't have much time left, the students needed to be taken to the Infirmary as soon as possible.

"I'm afraid that the circumstances say otherwise. While your concern is admirable, it is also unnecessary. The boy is far more mature than you think him to be." Perenelle replied gently.

"He's barely fifteen, Professor!" Dumbledore replied.

"Yet he's shown more maturity than you did when I took you on as my apprentice." Perenelle replied sharply.

Dumbledore winced slightly. He really didn't like someone reminding him about his past.

Perenelle's tone softened slightly. "Albus, you are not naive, you know very well what has happened here tonight. Your protectiveness is worthy of praise, but there is a fine line between protecting somebody and coddling them. Be sure to remember that."

Saying that, she walked over to the two sleeping teens, and placed her hands on their foreheads and then smiled softly at them. Waiting a moment longer, she got up and walked past Dumbledore. Just as she was leaving, she said, "Make sure to bring them to the Department on Monday." And Disapparated soundlessly.

Dumbledore sighed wearily. Knowing that the matter was entirely out of his hands, he created a portkey and the trio of wizards, witches and an owl vanished into nothingness.

Perenelle reappeared in her office in the Ministry building. There were certain perks to being the Head of the Unspeakables of the Department of Mysteries, Apparition clearance being one of them. Pouring herself a glass of wine, she sat down and made plans for the training that she intended for Harry to go under. She had been waiting all her life for someone to pass on her knowledge to, someone similar to her.

During the last war, the Department had a group of 7 witches and wizards, which were trained above the rest of the Ministry task force; she was the only one that remained. They were the best that Britain had to offer at that time. No one was aware of their existence, not even the researchers of the Department knew of them. There were no official records, no paperwork. They led two separate lives, balancing their work with their mission; to take down the threat posed by Voldemort. They had gained a name for their efforts, being known simply as The Order.

They were the first ones to fall.

Voldemort realized the threat that they posed to his plans, and took steps to eliminate them. For all their training and talents, Voldemort was far superior. Each and every one of them had been struck down by Voldemort himself. She had been devastated at the loss of her friends and comrades. She drifted through her life aimlessly, not knowing what she would do next. Being a 658 year old Vampire didn't help matters. If it weren't for her mate, she was sure that she would have lost the will to live. The both of them persevered through their time of grief. Vowing to help from the shadows, the next time Voldemort attack the Wizarding World.

She had met Nicholas when she was a newly turned Vampire, their magic guiding the other towards their destined mate. It was a common phenomenon in Witches and Wizards. But she had never thought that her magic would find anyone. Nicholas Flamel was a budding Alchemist at the time, laughed at for his outrageous ideas. She was afraid at first, denying that her magic could have chosen a human as her mate. Vampires were immortal, their existence either a burden or one of bliss, full of endless days with their mate; she loved him and couldn't bear the thought of living out her life alone. She knew that she couldn't bring herself to turn him into a vampire; he would lose the magic that he was born with, turning his life's passion into dust forever. She knew that he would agree to it in an instant if she asked him to, but she kept silent. Her fears were rendered baseless when Nicholas had successfully made the Philosopher's stone, and it was a short way there to creating the Elixir of Life. So they spent their days together, and she joined the Ministry at some point, ending up at the position as Head of the Department of Mysteries.

Albus had been a young boy of 21 when he had approached the Unspeakables. He feared that his friend was gaining power through the liberal use, and abuse of the Dark Arts and there was no one to stop him. She didn't know where he had found the information about her, but she had agreed to take him on as her Apprentice. After his defeat of Grindelwald, she released him from her mentorship, stating that she had taught him everything that he was capable of. She was a Vampire, and could only pass on her knowledge to one who was similar to her. She could honestly say that she missed having an Apprentice, it would seem that she had a love for teaching. Dumbledore and her mate had worked on many projects throughout the years, winning many awards together.

The last people that she had taught were The Order. It was then that she had sworn to herself that her Apprentice would never meet the same end as them, and swore vengeance upon Voldemort. It would seem that Fate had given a second chance with Harry.

Harry opened his eyes with a groan. He shut them immediately after, even the soft light of the room stinging his eyes, but he did catch a glimpse of his surroundings. He recognized it as the Hogwarts Medical Ward at once. He tried to recollect the last thing that he remembered. After ending up at the Infirmary so many times over his three years of schooling at Hogwarts, it was almost standard procedure for him.

Images flashed through his head, confusing at first, but they settled down eventually. He couldn't understand what had happened, all that he could remember was being attacked by a Vampire and then his memory of the incident drew a blank. He did remember one thing though, Hermione was also there with him, and he needed to find out what exactly had happened. Hr tried sitting up in his bed, wincing the whole time. Looking at the huge window at the end of the ward, he could determine that it was quite late in the night, closer to the morning than midnight. Figuring that Dumbledore would be up anyway, and could help answer his questions, he got out of bed and crept out of the Infirmary.

Hermione was staring at herself in the mirror; glad that the myth about Vampires not being able to see their reflection in the mirror was not true. Sure, it sounded mystical, but getting ready would be a hassle. Not that she was an avid fan of cosmetics, of course.

She had woken up a few hours earlier, and had nearly had a panic attack as she remembered what had happened. Thankfully, Professor Dumbledore was there to calm her down, and pointed out to her Harry's sleeping form next to her bed. She had calmed down considerably after seeing him. Dumbledore had asked her what she remembered, and Hermione told him everything. Though, she had skipped the things that she and Harry talked about. Those were definitely private.

At the end of her recital, Hermione noticed the Headmaster nod to himself, as if his suspicions had been confirmed. The conversation that followed after, was one that she was positive that she wouldn't be forgetting anytime soon.

"_What happened yesterday night Professor?" Hermione asked anxiously._

_She watched as Dumbledore's shoulders slumped slightly, as he sighed heavily. Her anxiousness increased, that definitely didn't bode well._

"_As you told me, you didn't see that attacker. But the wounds with which you were brought here, points to a single irrefutable possibility. The person that attacked you yesterday was without a doubt, a vampire." Dumbledore said in a gentle, sombre tone. _

_Hermione couldn't help the gasp that escaped her lips, as her hands went up to cover her mouth. She seemed to realize this and quickly brought her hands to her lap. Her mind started thinking about the various possibilities._

"_So . . . he. . .he . . . turned me. . .me? H-Harry" Hermione asked her voice lowering with each word she spoke shakily._

_Her mind starting going over everything that she knew about Vampires, her mind stopping at a chilling thought._

"_Am I . . .Am I . . . not a witch anymore?" Hermione asked, panic creeping back into her voice._

"_Calm down Miss. Granger, I don't doubt that you have stopped being a witch. Why don't you try casting a spell to be sure?" Dumbledore said gently._

_Hermione grabbed her wand from the bedside table, and muttered a quiet, _

"_**Lumos**__"_

_Her wand tip flared with bright light._

_She quickly muttered the counter-charm. Happiness flooding through her, at her success. She couldn't bear the thought of not being a witch anymore._

"_I don't understand Professor; I thought that you implied that I was bitten." Hermione said, her eyes looking at him accusingly._

"_Ah, you see Miss Granger . . ."_

Hermione shook her head, splashing her face with water. The Headmaster had told her his suspicions, and if rumours were to be believed, it was exactly what had happened.

After the Headmaster had left, the resident healer, Madam Pomfrey, had asked her how she was feeling. She told her that apart from feeling generally sore, she was feeling normal. She had run her wand over her body a few times, and seeming satisfied, told her that she was free to go, but to return if she began feeling funny. So Hermione had freshened up before sitting by Harry's side waiting for him to wake up.

While taking her bath she couldn't help but notice the changes that her turning into a Vampire had incurred. She had grown several inches in height, her legs gaining a nice womanly elegance and her chest seemed to have matured slightly. The greatest change however, was her hair; it had straightened and now framed her face in soft curls. She couldn't help but start playing with her new hair. She quite liked her new hair, not to mention her other changes.

She splashed her face again, and rubbed it off with a towel. The first thing she noticed when she walked towards Harry's bed was that he wasn't in it. Looking around frantically, she just got a glimpse of a shady form creeping out of the Infirmary.

She immediately started following him, refraining from calling out to him, her curiosity getting the better of her. She couldn't help but be amazed at Harry's knowledge of Hogwarts's secret passages. She had been here for three years and even she wasn't sure where she was exactly. Before she knew it, she had followed him to a corridor she recognized, she was standing near to the corridor leading to the Headmaster's Office. Calling out to him, she ran forwards at his position, just as he reached the stone Gargoyle.

A/N :- Sorry for the short chapter, but I couldn't write any further without getting an opinion on a rather important decision.

Should I make this a harem?

Yes.

No.

I've put up a poll on my profile, Please vote. Or state your opinion in a review, I will count those as well.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter

**Warnings: **Violence , and Mature Themes.

**Chapter 4**

"Harry!"

Harry heard someone call his name, a voice that he could recognize anywhere. He spun around on his heels, looking at the figure of his best friend running up to him. If asked later, he wouldn't be able to describe the cacophony of emotions that ran through him. Relief, anxiety, happiness . . . love? He just stood there, stock still. Hermione wrapped him up in a hug, and still Harry was unable to move. Just as she was about to pull back, wondering if something was wrong, he practically smashed her body to his.

Hermione let out a small squeak of surprise, but hugged him just as enthusiastically nevertheless. She began to wonder how long Harry was going to hug her, not that she was complaining, it felt quite nice. She shivered slightly, as Harry's mouth made brief contact with her neck as he pulled back, but her thoughts came to an abrupt halt as she got her first good look at Harry.

The first thing that she noticed about Harry was his height, previously, he had been almost as tall as her, but now, even after her own changes, he was easily a head taller than her. He also didn't look like a starved boy, but his shoulders had broadened significantly, giving him a strong appearance. His eyes, those emerald green orbs that she adored, had always seemed a bit mystifying to her, but now, she simply couldn't bring herself to look away. His gentle green eyes, that she had seen flashing with power on more than one occasion, looked as if it was saturated with power. It wasn't uncommon for this to happen when channelling large amounts of power, but Harry wasn't doing so right now.

Harry was also in a similar position, he was taking in the changes that Hermione had gone through, his eyes straying to her breasts ever so often, a pink tinge on his face. He had always liked her hair before, but now it seemed to be more fitting, making her appear as a young woman, rather than a pubescent teenager.

"H-Hermione?" Harry asked swallowing slightly.

"Um. . . Y-Yeah" Hermione said, she was startled by the change in his voice. It too, seemed to be full of power, pleasantly distracting her thoughts.

"What . . . Are you alright?" Harry asked, changing tracks mid-question, as his rational side caught up to him.

"Yeah Harry, never been better." Hermione replied smiling at the concern that was plain to see in his eyes.

Harry seemed to remember something and immediately, caught her chin and moved her head sideways, examining her left cheek. Hermione remembered that was the same cheek on which she had been struck. She blushed slightly under his scrutiny, and brought up her hand and gently, taking his hand lowered it.

"I really am alright Harry." Hermione said gently.

"Do you remember what happened? Harry asked.

Hermione was interrupted from answering as Dumbledore came up behind them, startling them slightly.

"Ah. . . Mr. Potter, If you would please follow me to my office, I will try to explain everything to you."

Dumbledore waved his hand at the Gargoyle, and the three of them ascended the stairs. Hermione glanced at Harry, and recognized the face that he was making, as if trying to remember something.

As soon as they sat down opposite Dumbledore, a question burst forth from Harry's lips, "Professor Dumbledore, what about Hedwig? Where is she?"

Hermione teared up slightly. She knew that, to Harry, Hedwig was no mere owl. She was his companion and one of Harry's friends. She gently took his hand in hers and gave it a slight squeeze.

"Hedwig is currently under Hagrid's care. I'm sure she will make a full recovery." Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling.

Harry released a sigh of relief, and Hermione bit her lip. She knew that the Headmaster was lying, she had visited Hagrid earlier, and he had said that it did not look good for Hedwig. But she understood the reason for the Headmaster's lie; Harry didn't need any more troubles clouding his mind, especially considering the upcoming conversation.

"So Professor Dumbledore, what happened yesterday? I just remember the Vampire attacking us, and then my memory goes blank." Harry asked.

"You see Harry . . ." with that the Headmaster started in on his tale. Throughout it all, Hermione kept her hand clasped tightly with Harry. She knew how he would react after he heard what he had done unconsciously. And just as she had predicted. . .

"I-I . . . turned Hermione into . . . No . . ." Harry stood up jerkily, Hermione still holding his hand. He suddenly went still.

"H-Harry?" Hermione asked, fear rising in the pit of her stomach.

Harry was about to reply, when the door to the Headmaster's office flew open and a thoroughly worried Hagrid entered the office, holding something gently in his hands. Soft, tired hoots could be heard from its general direction.

'_Oh no . . .not now._' Hermione thought, tears springing unbidden in her eyes.

"Headmaster Dumbledore sir, Hedwig isn't doing so well . . ." Hagrid trailed off as he noticed Harry standing in front of him, staring directly at his owl, held in Harid's hands. Before he knew it, Harry had run forwards at him, gently transferred Hedwig into his arms, holding her gently to his chest and ran from the Headmaster's office.

"HARRY!" Hermione shouted, intending to follow him.

"Please wait Miss. Granger. I think that it would be wise if Harry is left alone for some time. It would give him time to grieve as well as come to terms with his situation." Dumbledore suggested gently.

For the first time in her life, Hermione wanted to snarl at the Headmaster. But she knew that she would be losing precious time arguing with the Headmaster, time that she could spend knocking some sense into Harry.

She nodded once, already thinking about the various places in the castle that Harry might have gone to. Sure she respected the Headmaster, but she was certain that no one knew Harry better than her, and she knew exactly what he needed right now.

Harry was sitting on the floor of a room that, he figured, no one would ever check to find him. He had no doubt that Hermione would come looking for him. He was crying, holding on to his owl, his constant companion, Hedwig in his arms. He couldn't believe that his innocent decision to get some fresh air, could have such devastating ramifications.

He and Hermione turned into Vampires.

Hedwig . . .dy . .dyin . . .

He couldn't even bring himself to face the facts.

"I-I'm so sorry Hedwig. Please don't leave me. Please . . ." Harry sobbed. Hedwig hooted softly, opening her eyes and looking at him.

"Please. . . I don't know if I would be able to live anymore if I lost you."

Hedwig's soft breathing was growing tired with every word he spoke.

"D-Do you remember the first time you brought me your hunt? I was so proud of you . . ."

"All the times that you would nudge me when you thought that I was feeling down. I-I never thanked you for that Hedwig. Please . . . you have to get better."

Hedwig's form had gone still by this time, and Harry hugged her to his chest and bawled. He didn't know how much time had passed, but his tears had eventually run dry, and he was just gasping, taking in sporadic breaths. He however did notice that Hedwig's body seemed to be getting hotter by the second. Even though the heat became unbearable, he didn't let go.

Suddenly pure white flames seemed to burst forth from her, but it didn't hurt Harry at all, it just encompassed his body in pleasant warmth. He felt Hedwig's body apparently vanishing from his hands, and in its place a soft warm body settled into his arms.

Harry coughed slightly as the smoke cleared. And then stared at what was, undoubtedly a Phoenix baby hatchling, nestled in his arms. Ash surrounded the miniature bird, cupped in Harry's arms. It looked up at him, and Harry thought he recognized the look in her eyes; it was the same look that he had always seen in Hedwig's eyes. Although her eyes had changed colour to a royal blue, Harry couldn't mistake the emotions in her eyes.

"H-Hedwig?" Harry asked uncertainly, ruthlessly smashing down his rising hope.

*Harry*

Harry was startled by the childlike, but clearly feminine voice that suddenly sounded in his head.

"Hedwig is it really you?" Harry asked, hope returning with a vengeance.

*Harry*

The baby phoenix, tried moving her wings, nonexistent as they were, trying to get off the ash covering her body. Harry saw her efforts, and gently brushed off the ash covering her. She released a pleasant sounding trill, as if in thanks.

"It is you isn't it?" Harry asked, his voice thick with emotion. He started petting her small head with a gentle finger, amazement and a little confusion running through his head. He noticed that she appeared to be drowsy, and was fighting to stay awake.

Harry smiled softly at Hedwig's efforts.

"Go to sleep Hedwig, you must be tired. I'll be here when you wake up." Harry said.

The phoenix released a tired but grateful trill, and leaning slightly into Harry's palm, dozed off.

*My Harry*

"Mr. Potter, where have you been?"

Hermione stomped her foot in frustration. She had looked everywhere that she thought that Harry would be going to seek solace. For some unknown reason, she had even checked Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Sighing, she made her way to the Infirmary, figuring that she better get back to Madam Pomphrey, lest she start worrying over Harry's absence. It was nearing morning, and she would be making her rounds soon.

As she stepped into the infirmary, she caught sight of the object of her search, lying on his belly, playing with something with his fingers. She stared incredulously at Harry. He was hiding in the Infirmary?

Harry? Hiding? In the infirmary? The very idea was ridiculous.

'_Yet, it had served its purpose admirably.'_ Hermione thought.

She quietly made her way to his bed and then, leaping slightly onto the bed, sat down cross-legged on his legs, pinning them to the bed.

"Harry James Potter! How dare you run away from me?" she hissed.

"B-But . . ." Harry started weakly. For such a petit girl, she was quite strong.

"No Buts. Now you will shut up and listen to what I think of you turning me into a vampire. I think that it is the best gift that anyone has given me! I look good, my magic is stronger, and I get to keep my best friend company! So no Harry, I don't blame you !" Hermione stated.

Harry was shocked by Hermione's candidness; she had always been a bit reserved with her conversations.

"Now do you promise to talk and not run away again?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded glumly.

Hermione got up and dragging her chair, sat down near Harry's head. It was then that both of their attention was drawn by a beautiful trill, it almost sounded as a whine. Hermione looked at the small bird that was in front of Harry.

"H-Harry?" Hermione stuttered.

"Mm . . ."

"Who is that?" Hermione asked.

"Hedwig" Harry replied softly, but it was easy to hear the happiness in his voice.

"How did this happen?" Hermione asked, curious.

And then Harry told her about it.

Hermione shook her head and muttered smiling fondly. "Only you Harry . . ."

A/N:- Again sorry for the short chapter. But the few people that have told me their reasons for not going for a harem, mainly about this turning into a smut fic, I promise that it will be nothing of that sort, all the girls with somewhat get their own character development, and will be turned to vampires. So if you still have a problem, PM me, and I'll think about it.

And If Harry and Hermione seem a bit OOC, my bad. He he he, but I credit it to the different 3 rd year that they had.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter

**Warnings: **Violence , and Mature Themes.

**Chapter 5**

Harry was making his way to the Headmaster's office after having a long chat with Hermione. He had asked her what she had meant when she said that her magic seemed to be stronger. He had read about Vampires and knew that they were incapable of using magic. Hermione had picked up her wand, and made the tip light up, showing that she was still a Witch. She had explained that she felt more powerful, and had a greater amount of magic in her core to call forth. This was the first time that he was hearing about this, and he told her as much.

"But Harry, you have to have noticed it by now. You have been casting spells for three years now!" Hermione exclaimed.

Harry stared at her confusedly.

Hermione took a few deep breaths, her mind whirring with possibilities. It was certainly possible that Harry, being younger than her, wouldn't be as sensitive as her, but something told her it was something else.

"Harry could you tell me what you feel whenever you cast a spell?" Hermione asked.

"I don't feel anything Hermione, I just concentrate on the spell, make the proper movements, and cast it. I've never felt a _pull_ as you described."

"What about the time you cast the Patronus harry? Try and remember what you had felt that time." Hermione said gently.

Harry thought back to that night, shuddering slightly as he remembered the sight of hundreds of Dementors closing down on his body, lying beside Sirius. He remembered thinking that he could do it; he had done it before after all. He remembered the emotions that he had used to make the Patronus, but he tried remembering the feeling that Hermione was describing.

He could remember it now, buried beneath his adrenaline, and anxiety. A feeling of power, coursing throughout his body, centred primarily on his torso, and as he cast his Patronus, a good chunk of it rushing out of his wand, with a definitive pull.

"Yes . . ." Harry breathed. He shook his head, memorizing the feeling; it was one of the most amazing things that he had felt. Was this what Hermione felt like every time she cast a spell?

"Yes Hermione! I felt it that day, it was amazing, it's an amazing feeling right?" Harry asked.

"Yes Harry, it is." Hermione replied smiling. She mentally shortened down the list of possibilities.

"How much magic did you use from your core overall?" Hermione asked curiously. Harry was powerful, of that, she had no doubt. This would help her determine exactly how powerful he was.

She watched as he closed his eyes again, and she could pin point the exact time that Harry had felt his magic, his grinning face was a dead giveaway.

"Approximately, a little more than half of it." Harry replied. Hermione covered her awe admirably, she knew that it would only make Harry wary.

"Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Yes Harry?"

"Do you think that I should try casting magic now, I think I've figured out how to feel my magic." Harry said excitedly.

"Sure Harry, go on."

She saw as Harry grabbed his wand and concentrated and then muttered, "**Lumos**"

Nothing happened.

Harry again muttered the same spell, but the wand tip didn't light up. She saw Harry looking at his wand, a confused expression on his face.

"What's wrong Harry?" Hermione asked.

Harry just shook his head and continued doing the same thing a few more times, before he got frustrated and put down his wand.

"Harry . . . what's wrong?"

"There must be something wrong with my wand Hermione, I can feel my magic if I concentrate hard, I feel it rushing through my hand, but as soon as it comes in contact with my wand, it just . . . stops, you know." Harry tried his best to explain what he was feeling.

Hermione frowned. They were both in the same situation and she hadn't felt any difference in her wand, if anything, it seemed to be more suited to her now.

"I don't know Harry. . . I didn't feel anything like this from my wand. I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will be able to explain it." Hermione replied, squeezing his hand gently. And so, with Hedwig held in Harry's hands, they made their way to the Headmaster's office.

After Harry had explained; to the best of his ability, the events that led to Hedwig becoming a phoenix, silence descended in the Headmaster's office.

"Professor," Hermione said, interrupting the silence, "Harry tried casting some spells, but he said that his wand wasn't working for him."

Dumbledore didn't give any outward reaction to this piece of information, but he thought up various reasons for this, most of which were reasons stemming from one piece of information that he was reluctant to share with the two students in front of him. But still, he needed to tell them something.

"Ah. . . about that, there is a person that I would like you to meet. She was my mentor, and has expressed her desire to take you up as her apprentice, Harry. I'm sure that she will be able to answer any questions that you may have." Dumbledore said.

Harry and Hermione were shocked. Dumbledore wasn't exactly young, his mentor must be ancient.

Dumbledore chuckled slightly as he correctly interpreted the tow student's expression.

"Miss. Granger, I have informed your parents that you are safe and are at Hogwarts, I think that a personal owl from you would make them feel better. The same goes for you Harry, I think that Sirius would like to know." Dumbledore suggested gently.

"But, what should we tell them happened? Do you think that we should tell everyone that we are essentially Vampires?" Harry asked, he had been thinking about this for some time now.

He had been thinking about everyone that he knew and what their reaction would be. The Weasleys were nice people overall, but they tended to look at anything even remotely Dark with extreme prejudice, they were a definite, no. Remus was a Dark creature himself, being a Werewolf; but the intense loathing and hate that Werewolves and Vampires had was legendary, and Harry wasn't sure of his reaction. He was sure that Remus would attack him or anything, but he didn't think that he could handle a change in the relationship that he had developed with him through the last year. He could see himself telling Sirius, but his relationship with Remus was the only thing that was making him hesitate.

Harry looked over at Hermione and saw that she was biting her lips slightly. He realized that she was in a much more pressing situation that him, her parents were muggles, and had been very understanding, but he was sure that they would draw the line at Hermione turning into a Vampire.

Hermione glanced at him, and looking at the fear in her eyes, he gained confirmation that he had correctly interpreted her thoughts. He smiled slightly at her, and turned his head to the Headmaster.

"Professor, I don't think that anyone needs to know about the specifics of the attack. I think Hermione agrees with me when I say that no one needs to know about us right now." Harry said. Turning his head, he could see Hermione nodding along with his words.

"That decision is entirely up to the both of you, but I think that it would make you feel better if you shared the news with someone." Dumbledore said.

The two of them nodded, neither having any intention of saying a word to the others.

"Splendid. Now my mentor has asked me to escort the both of you to her office on Monday, i.e. tomorrow. Why don't you go down to the kitchens and have your breakfast, I presume you know the way?" Dumbledore asked with an amused twinkle in his eyes.

Harry nodded sheepishly, and got up to leave the Headmaster's office.

"Also Harry, baby phoenixes like to eat assorted fruits, I'm sure our kitchens will be able to provide them for you. Come by my office when you have free time, I would love to teach you how to take care of your Phoenix." Dumbledore said excitedly. He looked at the crooning baby phoenix, and said, just as Harry was leaving, "But, I daresay you would be needing any instruction, Hedwig looks quite Happy in your arms."

A contented trill was all that he received in response.

Breakfast provided a much needed distraction for the two Vampires. Harry had been shown the kitchens by Fred and George, after they had given him the map, and then Harry had shown it to Hermione shortly afterwards. They had reached a mutual decision not to tell Ron, as knowing his eating habits, he wouldn't be able to reach his classes. At first, Hermione had started ranting that employing house elves as slaves was not right. But Harry had pointed out that the House elves looked happy, and had convinced Hermione to ask them how they had felt about it. It had taken many discussions, but Hermione had relented under the combined assault of Harry and the elves. But even after having their full, a hunger still remained.

After breakfast Harry had suggested that they go to the library to research about Vampires in detail. Hermione had looked surprised at Harry's suggestion, but remembered his resolution and quickly grabbed his hand, dragging him enthusiastically, smiling the whole way.

As Harry was searching for relevant books, having to go back to the table every time he found a useful book, he realized how much he had missed casting magic. He only hoped that whatever was wrong with his wand could be fixed as soon as possible.

They read throughout the whole afternoon, each lost in reading their own book. While reading, Harry realized that his head seemed much clearer, and focused, something that sped up his reading immensely. He could recall facts faster, and had improved his memory retention. Pushing it out of thoughts as another thing that must have changed as a vampire, he read on.

They went down to the kitchens silently. Each lost in the facts that they had read today. They had lunch, but again they could feel the hunger, and by the looks of things Hermione seemed much more affected than Harry was. As they were walking back to the library, Hermione tentatively voiced her thoughts.

"Um . . .Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah?"

"Do you feel hungry?" Hermione asked; her voice barely audible.

Harry's head snapped up to look at Hermione. They had stopped walking, looking at each other, standing in the corridor.

"Yes, Hermione. I too feel the hunger." Harry sighed. There was one thing that remained constant in each and every book that he had read. The source of a vampire's power, their very life. The one thing that they needed to survive. . .

"D-Do you know . . ." Hermione asked feeling utterly nervous.

"Blood." Harry whispered.

Hermione shuddered slightly, she could clearly hear Harry's whispered word. It seemed to pierce her very core, sliding up her spine. However morbid the thought might be, she was thankful that it was Harry that was in the same situation as her, if it had been anyone else, she was sure that she wouldn't be handling things as calmly as she had been. She had realized the meaning behind her hunger as soon as she had started reading this morning, but had been reluctant to bring it up. She didn't know if what she was feeling was felt by Harry as well, but as she had finished lunch, she was barely able to control herself. It didn't help matters that, whenever she thought about ingesting blood, instead of revulsion, her hunger seemed to return with a vengeance.

Harry caught sight of Hermione's face and was shocked to see the desire in her eyes. She definitely was hit with the hunger much harder than he was.

"I don't know what we are going to do about that Hermione, but I am sure that we will get answers tomorrow. We can hold off until then right?" Harry asked gently.

Hermione nodded her head hesitantly. Harry smiled and they spent the rest of their time in the library, and in the evening they visited the Headmaster for his promised lesson on phoenixes. It was a very enjoyable lesson, and Hermione had also tried to take care of Hedwig and enjoyed it immensely. Dumbledore said that Fawkes had requested that he watch over the young phoenix during the night and Harry had agreed, however he did so reluctantly.

After dinner, the two of them then made their way to the Gryffindor tower, to sleep for the night. It was odd to see the Gryffindor tower, which was always full of life and people, so deserted. It looked the same, the house-elves had made sure of that, but it didn't feel the same. Both of them decided to call it an early night and headed to their dorms. Newly turned Vampires needed their sleep after all.

Hermione punched her pillow in frustration. She had been trying to sleep for the past two hours, but her hunger was demanding she do something about it. She knew that Harry was right. She had thought that she would be able to curb her hunger for another day, but it simply wasn't possible. It had gotten much worse as the day wore on, she was able to keep it in control in front of the Headmaster; his lesson was absolutely interesting, and was a pleasant distraction. But, walking back to the dorms with Harry, she was hard pressed to control herself. She jumped at Harry's suggestion to sleep early, she wasn't sure what she would have done if she had spent some time alone with Harry.

She was beginning to feel a little lightheaded. Slightly alarmed, she decided that she needed to talk to Harry. Unaware that she was still in her nightgown, she made her way to Harry's dorm, her heartbeat elevating with each step she took. Here she was, Hermione Granger, going up to Harry's dorm, at night, with no one else inhabiting the tower apart from them. She blushed, and her hunger increased. She opened the door slightly, wincing at the small creaking of the hinges.

She saw Harry lying peacefully in the bed, asleep. Looking at Harry's peaceful, sleeping form, she almost changed her mind. But, she walked forward, almost in a trance. She walked over to the other side of the bed, directly in front of Harry's turned face, and almost screamed.

"Couldn't sleep?" Harry asked gently.

Harry's eyes snapped open as he heard the dorm room's door creak open. He quickly peeked through his blinds and caught sight of Hermione, closing the door. He was slightly alarmed at her condition, her body was making small jerks, and her face was flushed. He recognized the signs. Hermione's body was demanding blood, and she wasn't able to hold out any longer. His decision was simple to make, Hermione was his best friend, and he would help her, whatever the cost.

He remained still, feigning sleep, until Hermione was directly in front of him.

"Couldn't sleep?" Harry asked gently.

He watched as Hermione almost jumped. After settling, she sat down on the bed, nodding her head slowly, almost ashamed. Harry sat up, and shifted such that he was sitting beside her.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of Hermione." Harry said kindly.

Harry saw as Hermione, still looking at her lap, shook her head, tears beginning to form in her eyes. Harry knew how she was feeling, and was determined to help her. He placed her hand gently on her shoulder, turning her around to face him, and cupping her chin, brought up her head.

Hermione looked at him with tear filled eyes, her lower lip trembling. Harry knew what Hermione would do if the situations were reversed, and hugged her, putting one of his hands on her head, stroking her hair. He murmured soothing words that Hermione often used to cheer him up. Hermione began crying in earnest, her tears dripping onto his nightshirt. After she had calmed down, Hermione gave him a tight squeeze and separated from him.

"I-I'm s-sorry Harry, I-I tried, b-but . . ." Hermione said, her words broken.

"It's not your fault Hermione, I can feel it too, but it doesn't seem as bad to me, as it is for you. But I would be lying if I told you that I was bothered by it. If it helps, I think that you need to loosen up. It's our nature." Harry said and hugged her again, tilting his head slightly, exposing his neck to her and guiding her head towards it with his hand.

Hermione didn't need any more encouragement, instincts taking over; she nuzzled his neck with her nose, and kissed a spot, before she sunk her fangs into his neck, drinking his blood.

The taste was unlike anything she had ever tasted before, it was as if all her favourite flavours had been wrapped as one and presented to her. Drinking her fill, several mouthfuls; she separated and a pleasured moan escaped her lips. She was euphoric. Her eyes were glazed over in bliss. As she regained her senses, she blushed brightly at her actions, and turned apologizing eyes towards Harry.

Harry smiled. "Glad you liked it Hermione."

Hermione's blush increased, and she began feeling sleepy, unbelievably sleepy.

"D-Do you . . .?" Hermione asked, her blush increasing again.

"No." Harry said, and noticing the hurt look in her eyes added, "maybe tomorrow."

Hermione nodded absently, sleep overwhelming her. She motioned for Harry to lie down, and as he did so lied down beside him. Both of them sharing the pillow.

"H-Hermione?" Harry stuttered.

"Shh. . .Harry go to sleep." Saying that Hermione drifted off to sleep.

Harry stayed awake for a few minutes, contemplating using another bed, but his hunger had increased as he had offered Hermione his blood, and feeling tired joined Hermione in the land of dreams.

A/N:- So how was it? Review your thoughts and as far as the Harem goes, I have been giving it a lot of thought and have decided on a three girl Harem.

Hermione- I think that's obvious.

Daphne- So much empty space to work on.

Tonks- Cause she is just too awesome. Seriously.

Thank you for reading, and tune in for the next chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter.

**Warnings: **Violence, Mature themes.

**Chapter 6**

Hermione was wandering around the edge of consciousness, the blissful time when you are half awake. She snuggled closer to her pillow, and hugged it tightly. Imagine her surprise when her 'pillow' hugged her back. Hermione snapped her eyes open and came face to face with the sleeping visage of her friend, Harry. She noticed that she was sleeping with her head on his chest and his arms were around her, hugging her close to his body. Heat suffused her cheeks, and she tried to get out of Harry's embrace. It took a while to do it without waking up Harry; she knew for a fact that Harry was a very light sleeper. Throwing off her side of the blanket, she looked down at Harry's sleeping form and tucked him in the covers properly before she left for her own dorm. She still couldn't believe the fact that she had spent the night with Harry, in his bed.

Back in her own dorm, she looked at the time and realized that she and Harry had to meet the Headmaster in a little over 3 hours. Deciding o wake up Harry after she had freshened up, she went to take her shower and start the day.

(Break)

Harry entered the Headmaster's office; an hour early and immediately made his way to Fawkes's perch. He saw that someone; probably the headmaster, had transfigured a make shift bed for Hedwig to rest in. Looking at the design, shape and size of it, he committed it to memory, thinking that he would need to do it himself someday. Hedwig had really grown up a lot in one night, before she had rested in his palms; now she was almost as big as his palm itself!

Just as he was about to stroke her head, her eyes opened and she let out an endearing trill, almost as if she was yawning. Harry spent quiet some time talking to her and he noticed that she was able to talk to him using a wider variety of words.

"Good morning Headmaster." Harry greeted, having completely missed his presence; he had been completely focused on Hedwig.

The headmaster chuckled lightly; he remembered he was much the same when he had first met Fawkes.

"Good morning indeed, my boy."

"Professor, yesterday you mentioned that your mentor wished to see me, but you never mentioned their name." Harry said, his hands still stroking Hedwig's head.

"Ah . . .I think that my mentor would like to introduce you directly." Dumbledore said with a smile.

Harry inclined his head, and spied Hermione. She had walked over to the back of Dumbledore's office, directly where the Headmaster kept his books. He could practically see stars in her eyes as she scanned the various titles.

"So where are we going to meet your mentor Headmaster?" Harry asked.

"Your meeting is scheduled at the Ministry of Magic." Dumbledore replied.

Harry was instantly on guard. As far as he knew, Ron's father was the only decent human being in the Ministry. And after the various articles that had come out his second year; the whole Heir of Slytherin business; were not flattering in the least. Dumbledore seemed to notice Harry's frown, correctly deduced the reason for it.

"My mentor is not part of the Ministry per se, Harry. And I assure you that she is not a politician. You are supposed to meet her in the Department Of Mysteries to be exact. But that is all I'm going to tell you Harry." Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling.

Harry nodded with a smile on his face; he hadn't missed to note that the Headmaster's mentor was a woman.

"Miss. Granger, if you would join us, the time for our arrival is fast approaching." Dumbledore said.

Hermione smiled sheepishly as she came towards them. As she came up to them, the headmaster brought out an outrageously bright woollen sock from his robes, and Harry bid goodbye to Hedwig.

"How are we getting there Professor?" Harry asked.

"Ah. . . that reminds me, if you would put up the hoods of your cloak; it would be best if no one recognized you at the Ministry."

The two teens immediately put up their hoods and as the Headmaster gave a quick wave with his wand, Harry felt a tingle of magic that washed over his face.

"Now, I think it's time. Gather around and touch this sock." Saying that Dumbledore held up the sock, and Harry grabbed the sock with two fingers.

"Erm . . .what is this Headma. . ." before Harry could finish he felt a tug on his navel and his world spun. Almost before he could blink, his world righted itself and he was deposited on his hindquarters. He shook his head several times to get oriented.

"What was that Headmaster?" Harry asked.

The headmaster chuckled. "That was a Portkey Harry."

Harry decided then and there that he hated Portkeys. He looked at Hermione and saw that she was standing, albeit crouched down a bit, her face green. The look on her face clearly indicated that she had the same thought as him.

As he got to his feet he noticed that they had arrived in a stone corridor, lined with obsidian stones. At the end of the corridor was a single door. The two teens and one headmaster made their way towards that door. As he stepped inside the door Harry noticed that they were in a circular room with at least twelve different doors. The doors would open randomly and people who apparently worked here would then cross over to a different door. Several of the people shot curious glances at the three of them but didn't give them a second glance.

They waited there for some time and as Harry noticed that there was no one currently in the room barring themselves, Dumbledore brought out his wand and gave it a flick. Stones rumbled as the floor began descending downwards, and as Harry looked up a seemingly new floor slid into place above their heads.

As the floor stilled to a stop, Harry saw yet another circular room, but with only six doors compared to the previous twelve. One door, directly to the right of Harry snapped open and a fairly young woman walked out. She had blonde hair and oval glasses that looked odd on her young face.

As she walked closer his instincts seemed to detect a threat to their domain. He was surprised as he barely contained the growl that almost left his lips. He decided that she was someone that wasn't to be trifled with. He had felt all thin in a mere span of a single second.

"Wrong yet again Albus." She said, her voice sounding soft yet powerful.

Dumbledore smiled ruefully; it was a bit of a private joke between them. He would face the door that he thought her office to be in. He had yet to guess it correctly.

"Please lower your hoods kids, there's no one besides the four of us over here." She said smiling.

Harry lowered his hood, and looked directly in her ruby red eyes. He saw a brief flicker of surprise before her eyes turned warm again.

"Follow me kids, I believe we have a lot to talk about." She said ushering them with her hands. She followed behind them, and as she saw Dumbledore begin to follow them, added, "Albus I believe you have a school that you need to run, I'll bring them back to your office this afternoon. Good day."

Dumbledore sighed resignedly; he had at least wanted to be present when they talked.

Harry walked into an office that resembled the Headmaster's at Hogwarts, although in a much darker tone. Harry and Hermione sat down opposite the woman.

"Now then, before you ask any questions, let me introduce myself. My name is Perenelle Flamel, and I am the head of the Unspeakables working in the Department of Mysteries. I arrived at the night of the attack, a few moments after Albus did, and recognized the signs of a vampire attack. I expressed my desire to take you kids as my apprentice, although Harry will be learning some things that I will not be teaching you, Hermione. You can however, ask Harry to teach them to you later. Any questions?" Perenelle asked.

Hermione who was oddly silent throughout the morning, was the first one to ask her question.

"Are you the wife of Nicholas Flamel?" Hermione asked.

"Yes."

Harry interrupted here. "But Professor Dumbledore told me that the stone was destroyed, and that you had died."

"The stone had indeed been destroyed Harry." Perenelle replied.

"But . . ." Harry trailed off. Thinking about all the facts, and taking into account what had happened to them recently, he only came to one clear conclusion.

"You're a Vampire." Harry stated.

"Very astute, Harry. I have been a Vampire all my life, and so has Nicholas for three years now." She said.

"So you turned him?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. He decided that he had grown bored with living as an Alchemist and asked me to turn him. It was for this reason that we gave up our stone to Albus." Perenelle replied.

Something about how she had said her last statement caught Harry's attention. "Why can't he be an Alchemist as a Vampire?" Harry asked.

"That is a simple one to answer; he lost his magic when he began his life as a Vampire." She said.

The two teens were startled with this new information. Hermione could use magic perfectly well, and Harry was definitely able to feel his magic, it was only his wand that was giving him problems.

Perenelle laughed softly at the startled looks on the two teen's faces. She had thought long and hard on how much to tell Harry up front, and had decided that she would tell him as soon as he was able to protect his mind adequately.

"Don't worry; you are not going to be losing your magic. It has a very unique set of circumstances that must be met, for the event that Harry has undergone. Simply put, Harry has almost all the benefits of being a Vampire while remaining a Wizard. The one thing that is inexplicable, is, he exact nature of circumstances that allowed him to turn Hermione without her losing her magic." Perenelle said.

"What unique circumstances are you talking about? As far as I remember, it was like any other vampire attack that I have read about." Harry said. He was groaning inwardly, he just couldn't believe that whatever happened to him, it was always due to unique circumstances.

"That is something that you are not ready to learn Harry. But you will definitely be informed of it as soon as you are ready." Perenelle said soothingly.

"What do you mean I'm not ready?" Harry asked, a hint of anger lacing his voice.

Perenelle shot him a strict look, and then asked them a question. "What can you tell me about Ligilimency?"

Seeing the confused looks on the two teens, she told them.

"Ligilimency is the art of invading another's mind, and reading their thoughts. Your mind is not protected and there is a risk of you knowing too much before you can protect yourself from it." Perenelle said.

Sufficiently cowed, Harry looked down.

"Now, I'm sure you are aware that Voldemort is not dead?" Perenelle asked seriously.

That caught both teen's attention. Harry had a long history with fighting Voldemort after all.

"What I'm proposing is that you learn to defend yourself, and grow stronger in magical duelling. It won't be long before he will make his appearance again. And the Wizarding world, especially you Harry; needs to be able to fight him again." Perenelle said softly.

Harry noticed a brief look of loss flicker across her eyes, and thought that she must have lost someone to Voldemort.

"Do we have a choice in our decision?" Hermione asked.

"Of course you do. I won't force you to become my apprentice, but after you accept you have to do everything that I tell you to." Perenelle said, a smile flickering to existence on her face.

Hermione looked at Harry's face, and seeing the determined look on Harry's face, sighed. She knew that look well. She also knew that he would do anything to stop Voldemort, and if she had anything to do about it she would be there with him.

"You can think over it tonight and give me your answer tomorrow. But before you go, I have a tale to tell you . . ."

Perenelle then gave them a basic overview of the last war and told them about The Order. She ended the tale with Harry's parent's murder at the hands of Voldemort. The same day that Harry had been given the moniker as The-Boy-Who-Lived.

It was lunchtime as the tale was finished, and by the end of it Hermione had tears in her eyes, listening about all the death and destruction had hit the both teens hard. It however, only provided more determination for Harry to make sure to be prepared for Voldemort.

"Now do you have any questions about living as Vampires?" Perenelle asked.

Looking at the uncertain faces of the two teens she ploughed forward.

"Have either of you fed?" she asked bluntly.

"Blood?" Hermione squeaked out, blushing as she remembered her actions last night.

"Yes. As vampires, you cannot go without Blood for long, although the duration increases with time, as newly turned Vampires you would need to feed at the very least every other day for at least a week." Perenelle said giving a curious glance at Hermione's flushed face.

The two teens sat there silently, avoiding making eye contact with each other.

"So, have you?" Perenelle asked again.

". . . Yes." Hermione mumbled quietly. "I fed from Harry last night; I couldn't control my hunger any longer."

"What about you Harry?" Perenelle asked, nodding encouragingly at Hermione's admission.

"No I haven't, but I will need to do it today. The hunger is making me restless." Harry replied.

"Make sure that you do so Harry. Vampires that go without blood for long eventually start losing their minds. I'm sure you understand the gravity of the situation." Perenelle said.

Harry nodded mutely. He then asked a question that had been pushed to the back of his mind, owing to the discussion that they had been having.

"I can feel my magic in me, but every time I try to cast a spell, my wand refuses to work." Harry said worriedly.

"Hmm . . . would you please hand me your wand Harry?" Perenelle asked a thoughtful expression on her face.

Harry nodded and taking out his wand from under his robes, handed it to Perenelle.

She flicked his wand and the tip lit up.

Harry felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as he saw his wand working properly.

"That's curious. Harry you said that you could feel your magic, but it stopped as you tried pushing your magic through it?" Perenelle got up and came to stand beside Harry, she put her hand on his wrist, and handed him his wand.

"Could you demonstrate?"

Harry nodded and concentrated on his magic, he had a much easier time feeling it than he did yesterday. He concentrated on the Lumos spell and flicking his wand cast the spell. Again, the feeling of magic failed to push through his wand and it returned to his magic pool.

Harry put down his wand and turned expectant eyes towards Perenelle.

Perenelle appeared to think for a moment, and then smiled.

"There's nothing to worry about Harry. You just need to get a new wand, your magic seems to have changed considerably after your turning and this wand is simply unsuited."

Harry nodded in relief. Although he liked his wand, its connection to Voldemort was slightly unsettling.

"Now I think it's time that you returned to Hogwarts. She shuffled about in her drawer and took out a pair of glasses, "this portkey will take you to the Headmaster's office."

Harry paled slightly at the thought of taking another Portkey. Just as he felt the tug on his navel, he cursed the existence of Portkeys and swore that he would find a form of Magical travel that he liked.

(Chapter End)

A/N:- So how was it? Good? Bad? Review your opinions people. And, Thanks for reading.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter

**Warnings: **Violence , and Mature Themes.

**Chapter 7**

Harry grumbled under his breath as he picked himself up from the floor of the Headmaster's office. Hermione had not fallen down this time, and Harry's frustration increased. Still shaking his head, he ignored the chuckling Headmaster and taking Hedwig in his arms, walked off, out of the Headmaster's office making his way towards the kitchens.

Hermione smiled at Harry's antics, before she turned towards the Headmaster and asked a question that she had forgotten to ask earlier.

"Professor how do you protect yourself from Legilimency?"

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at her question, but answered pleasantly nevertheless.

"Legilimency, the art of invading another's mind, can be countered by the art of Occlumency. Together they are known as the Mind Arts. I presume that Perenelle was the one that informed you of it?"

Hermione nodded. She had spent a considerable amount of time in the Hogwarts library, but had never read about this.

Dumbledore, who seemed to have picked up on her thoughts, said, " It is an obscure branch of magic that is only taught to selected people. One can either learn it from their mentor or from their family. Law enforcement candidates, Aurors, are also required to learn to defend their minds. It is not a subject that is taught at Hogwarts and thus, there are no books in the Hogwarts library on this subject."

"But that seems a bit unfair to those who don't have Wizarding backgrounds." Hermione protested.

"You are right about that, but you have to realize that you are still a student and have not begun your life as a Witch, you tend to pick up things such as this either from experience or from friends. Muggleborns such as yourself, have a disadvantage early on but eventually it all evens out." Dumbledore said gently. While that wasn't exactly true, Dumbledore knew that telling her about the true face of the Wizarding society would be discouraging, and she didn't need to know it now.

"I think I understand." Hermione said with a frown on her face.

"Professor?" Hermione asked hesitantly.

"Yes Miss. Granger?"

"Can anyone learn Ligilimency? Even a student?" Hermione asked. She had always prided herself for her mind, and the thought that someone could read it on a whim was unsettling to her.

"No Miss. Granger, it requires a certain amount of talent, and ability to learn it. Only a select few people are capable of it and those with the ability have to register themselves at the Ministry to get a license, similar to being an Animagus, for continuing its practice. I doubt that there is any student at the school that has been trained in the art." Dumbledore said, trying to abate her fear.

Hermione was silent for a long time, contemplating this new information. She was not sure if she should ask her next question, but did anyway.

"Can you do it Professor?"

If Dumbledore was surprised by her question, he didn't let it show on his face. After all, he had been expecting it from the inquisitive young woman.

"I am indeed capable of it, but I have never used it against students without their permission first."

Hermione nodded, and getting up said, "Thank you for your time Headmaster."

"It was my pleasure Miss. Granger, summers are always boring without any students inside the castle. Your presence is a welcome distraction."

Hermione smile and just as she was about to leave, Dumbledore asked her a question.

"Did Harry accept?" Dumbledore asked.

Hermione seemed to think about her answer for a long time. "We are supposed to think over it today Professor, but knowing Harry, he will no doubt accept. Good day Headmaster."

Dumbledore sighed as Hermione left. He was still of the opinion that Harry was much too young to have such a burden placed on his shoulders, but if his mentor had decided that he was ready, he couldn't really do anything about it.

(Break)

Lunch in the kitchens was punctuated by Hedwig's happy trills. She was swivelling her head side to side taking in her new surroundings, fascinated by it. Harry and Hermione had a very enjoyable time having lunch, even Hermione, who Harry thought was not prone to some of the more extreme behaviours of girlishness, was gushing over Hedwig's cuteness and was smiling happily as she fed Hedwig bits of food from her hand.

As they made their way to the common rooms, Hedwig sleeping comfortably in Harry's arms; Hermione told Harry whatever the Headmaster had told her about the Mind Arts. After hearing that, Harry was quiet for a time.

"I bet Snape is capable of using Legilmency." Harry said.

Hermione opened her mouth to argue that it was against the law, but was interrupted.

"I know it's against the law Hermione, but think about it. He always seems to know if someone had done anything and I have often felt a headache while in his classes. He just cant's prove his findings as it is against the law to use it unauthorized. But I doubt that he would care about the law." Harry said.

Hermione contemplated Harry's words. She knew that he was correct, but . . .

"Professor Dumbledore would do something about it Harry if it was the case, but, I think that you are right. He seems to have something against you specifically. He's mean to all the students besides the Slytherins, but he is more than that to you." Hermione said softly.

"Greasy git." Harry mumbled. He was surprised when Hermione didn't scold him for insulting a teacher.

They entered the common room, and sat in front of the fireplace. After talking for a bit, and growing bored with nothing to do, Harry told Hermione that he wanted to try and Transfigure a nest for Hedwig similar to the one that the Headmaster had made, and requested that Hermione do it for him. Hermione agreed happily and Harry described the nest as well as he could remember, tweaking it a little as he thought of all the little quirks that Hedwig had.

They had been working for nearly an hour before they were interrupted by a tapping on the window. Harry opened the window and the owl dropped a letter in front of Harry before she took off, not waiting for a reply. Harry opened the letter, and was surprised at reading the signature at the end of the letter. It was from Sirius. He beckoned Hermione to come closer and they read the letter together.

_Hey Pup,_

_How are the Dursleys treating you? If they give you any trouble, just point the watch at them and threaten that you can call me anytime you wish, that ought to straighten them up. But if you accept my proposal, you won't need to put up with them for long. _

_As your Magical Guardian, I have the authority to declare you as an emancipated minor. You will need to go to Gringotts and ask to talk to the Black Family overseer. It should be a goblin by the name of Bloodroot, funny name right? Anyway, he will be able to do all the formalities. I have sent a letter to him as well, and don't worry; it doesn't put me at any risk. Goblins have always served their clients irrespective of their social status; they gave the Ministry a hard time in the last war about it as well. But that is a story for another time. _

_Anyway after you are emancipated, you need to ask to be read the will of your parents and claim your Potter inheritance. I don't know how much help I will be able to provide, but I hope that this would help. Tell the Goblins to re-construct Potter Manor; it was destroyed during the last war. I doubt that you will be having a shortage of funds, but if that is the case I have instructed Bloodroot to cover the cost from the Black Family Vault. You can't protest, I have a responsibility as your guardian to provide a suitable home for you, besides I was living there as well for most of my Hogwarts's years, so I like to think of it as my home as well._

_I urge you to think about it Harry. Hearing about your last two years of Hogwarts has put me on edge, I have a feeling that Voldemort isn't going to be idle for long, and if he returns, Potter Manor will be the safest place for you to go to. Also, if you can, don't tell Dumbledore about this letter and your visit to Gringotts. I have a feeling that he won't be happy about it._

_Send me a letter after you are settled at Potter Manor, if it's safe for me to travel I will come there. I would like to spend some time with my Godson. Who knows, we might be able to rope in Moony as well and show you how we have fun, Marauder style!_

_See you soon Pup,_

_Padfoot._

Harry was stunned after reading Sirius's letter. Living on his own, at Potter Manor no less; was something that he had always dreamed about. Guilt, that he was feeling after deciding not to tell Sirius about his situation, returned with a vengeance. Even though he was on the run, he was still making sure the he was having no difficulty with his life.

Although slightly confused at Sirius's warning about Dumbledore, he realized that Sirius might be right and vowed that he would do everything that was possible to help his Godfather.

Looking sideways, he noticed that Hermione had a frown on her face. She sighed and then smiled happily at Harry.

"Can I come with you to Gringotts as well Harry?"

Harry had thought of many questions that she might have asked him, but her question was totally unexpected. He nodded dumbly.

Harry was distracted from his thoughts, for the rest of the time that they were working on making Hedwig's nest. After they had finished it, Harry gently woke up Hedwig and placed her in her new nest. She trilled happily, but after Harry left her there, she trilled sadly and after Harry had gone over to see what was wrong, she jumped up into his arms and then after releasing a few happy trills slept contentedly.

Hermione laughed outright at seeing Harry's incredulous expression.

(Break)

After dinner, the two of them walked back up to the Headmaster's office and deposited a sleeping Hedwig under Fawkes's care. The Headmaster informed them that he had told Hermione's parents that she, along with Harry; would arrive at Hermione's house after they had concluded their meeting with Perenelle. He again urged them to tell them about their situation. Walking back to the common room, Hermione asked a question that she felt was unnecessary.

"Harry will you be accepting the Apprenticeship?"

"Yes Hermione. I had decided this yesterday itself." Harry replied, determination was shining in his eyes.

"Are you really sure about this? I mean, we are still kids. After hearing the trials that The Order had to go through in the last war, don't you think we are a little too young?" Hermione asked hesitantly. She was always keen to learn new things, but, this was something different. Harry was practically going to be trained as an Auror, at the very least.

"You know how my life has been so far Hermione. Voldemort was the one who destroyed my whole life, and after I came to Hogwarts, every year he has been trying to get me. I need to be able to defend myself and . . . you Hermione. You mean too much to me, and Voldemort will take advantage of that fact. It might sound insulting Hermione, but are you sure that you want to still remain my friend. Even after knowing that there is a high possibility of Voldemort coming after me?" Harry asked softly. He noticed that Hermione had stopped walking, and he was fearful of her reaction as he turned back. His face was suddenly assaulted by Hermione's; now straight; hair.

"Don't ever ask me that question again Harry. Don't you realize that I would help you in any way that I can? You are my friend Harry and I intend to keep it that way." Hermione said. She hit him in the back of his head for extra emphasis.

Harry was suddenly aware that he was holding Hermione close to him, and her scent assaulted his nose. He had been aware of his hunger since lunch, but decided that he could hold out until dinner; apparently his instincts thought otherwise. His fangs extended unconsciously, and he suddenly stepped away from her, his hands over his mouth.

Hermione was surprised at Harry's actions, but after seeing him covering his mouth, understood immediately.

"I-I'm sorry, I don't know what . . ." Harry tried apologizing.

"It's nothing to apologize for Harry, we need to get used to it anyway." Hermione interrupted Harry.

Harry put down his hands, but as he thought about it, he gained a confused frown on his face.

"Hermione? If I drink from you, won't that make you thirsty as well? I mean it's like an endless cycle."

Hermione hadn't thought of it like that. But, she hadn't felt the hunger today and was feeling quite full. Her confusion increased.

"I don't know Harry. I don't think that I need to drink your blood today, I'm feeling quite full. Blood-wise." Hermione said her voice uncertain.

"But the Professor told us that newly turned Vampires need to feed every day." Harry said.

"We'll ask her about this later, if I feel like I need to feed I'll go to Professor Dumbledore and ask him about this." Hermione said calmly.

(Break)

Harry was standing nervously looking at Hermione's equally nervous form. They had decided to turn in for the night, and had delayed this as much as they could.

"S-So w-what exactly am I s-supposed to d-do?" Harry asked.

"I d-don't know! I was barely coherent." Hermione said, her hands playing with a stray lock of her hair nervously. This wasn't something that had been mentioned in the books, it just said that the Vampires fed blood. It didn't tell one about _how_ they did it.

"So what do I-I do?" Harry asked.

Hermione sighed and walked closer to him.

"H-Hermione?"

Hermione ignored Harry and a blush blossomed on her face at the thought of what she was about to do. If it were anyone other than Harry, she knew that she would never do such a thing. She hugged Harry close to her, making sure that he had ample access to her neck. She sighed in relief when she felt Harry's fangs on her neck, and shuddered in phantom pleasure, before her world exploded in a shower of colours.

Harry didn't know what came over him as Hermione hugged him. It was as if, he was a puppet controlled by someone else. His fangs extended, and he grazed Hermione's neck with it. He was unaware of Hermione's response, but as he bit into her neck, every sane thought was wiped out of his mind. It was exquisite. He would be hard pressed to describe the sensation that he felt, as he imbued Hermione's blood. After several mouthfuls, as soon as he felt his instincts sated, he stepped back and watched fascinated as the puncture wounds healed themselves. But, as he stepped back, he had to steady Hermione who seemed to be swaying.

Hermione was aware that she would feel _good _if Harry bit her, she had seen it happen to Harry yesterday. But she was unprepared for exactly how good she would feel. She remained standing only due to Harry's support, and swayed on her feet when he stepped back.

"Hermione! Are you alright?" Harry asked, worry evident on his face.

Hermione took a few deep breaths to normalize her breathing, and to clear her head of the pleasure she had felt.

"Yeah . . .Yes Harry, I'm fine."

"Did I take too much?" Harry asked still worried.

"No Harry . . . I just wasn't prepared, I didn't think that . . . it would be so . . .so . . ." Hermione couldn't bring herself to say it.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked as he led her to sit on the couch. As soon as she sat down, she jumped back up, blushing brightly.

"I t-think that I'm going to go sleep Harry. And don't blame yourself for anything, you did nothing wrong." Hermione said, and walked towards the girls dorm.

Harry was left standing in the common room, staring confusedly at Hermione's form.

'_My God! Now I need to take a shower before I sleep. But Harry didn't seem to be as affected as I am . . .'_ Hermione thought as she walked up the stairs.

'_But I wouldn't mind a repeat of that'_ Hermione blushed at her own thoughts.

(Break)

Perenelle was making her way through the grounds of Hogwarts. She walked up to the Headmaster's office and entered.

"Good morning Professor. Would you like some tea?" Dumbledore asked.

"Sure."

"I presume you are here for Mr. Potter." Dumbledore said as he was pouring a cup for her. He seemed to concentrate for a moment before he said, "I think you won't have to wait long."

Perenelle nodded. Sipping her tea, she saw something that had changed since she had last been here.

"Whose Phoenix is that Albus?" Perenelle asked as she got up and made her way towards the small bird.

"Ah . . .that is Harry's phoenix, Hedwig. It has an unusual tale behind it as well."

"Hedwig? Harry's owl?" Perenelle asked, astonished.

"Mr. Potter is a very unusual young man." Dumbledore chuckled.

"Indeed."

It was then that the door opened and the young man in question walked through. He seemed surprised to see her in the Headmaster's office, but greeted her nevertheless. Perenelle turned to face him directly, and asked seriously, "Do you accept to become my Apprentice, Harry?"

Harry's face and demeanour was full of confidence as he said, "I accept."

(End Chapter)

A/N:- Howdy! Sorry for cutting it short, but I had to do it. Now, someone has told me in a review that the story was going to slow, but I think that it is necessary. Sorry if it offends you but I don't think I can gloss over some things. Anyway, how did you like this chapter? Review!


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter

**Warnings: **Violence , and Mature Themes.

**Chapter 8**

Perenelle smiled at Harry's acceptance, she was truly looking forward to training with him.

"And what about you Hermione?" Perenelle asked.

"I go where Harry goes." She stated plainly.

Perenelle nodded. She took out a ring from her cloak and held it in her hands. Harry looked horrified.

"Um . . .Professor, what is that?" Harry asked with a wary glance at the ring in Perenelle's palm.

"This is a Portkey Harry, I believe that you have travelled by this method before." Perenelle said.

"No! . . .I mean yes, I have travelled by it before, but I absolutely hated it!" Harry said, his head swinging from side to side wildly.

Perenelle was amused at Harry's antics, but was inwardly frowning. She would need to teach him to adapt to whatever situation he was in, and she couldn't have him whining about the little things. But she also realized that he was a 13 almost 14 year old boy. It would definitely be a challenge for her.

"Would you like to Apparate instead?" she asked.

"What's Apparate?" Harry asked curiously. She noticed that Hermione's eyes had lit up with recognition, and she grew excited at the prospect.

"It would be easier for you to experience it." She said, and held out her hand to him. "Grab on tightly Harry, and whatever you do, don't let go."

Harry grabbed her hand tightly, and looked at her expectantly.

"Albus, If you would please escort Hermione." She said.

Harry felt a slight tug on his arm, and he felt as if he was being forced through a particularly narrow tube, and before he could start feeling squeamish, the sensation stopped and he was standing on unsteady feet in the same circular room that Perenelle's office was in.

He shook his head, trying to clear it of the lingering feeling of compression. While it was much better than a Portkey, it was decidedly uncomfortable.

There was a soft _pop _behind him, and Dumbledore and Hermione appeared behind them. He saw Hermione shaking her head as well. Dumbledore left shortly thereafter, and Harry patted his robes, making sure that Sirius's letter was still safe in his pocket.

Perenelle then began to tell them about the room, apparently the six doors each led to a separate area, one was her office, and there was a target range, a Duelling room, an Equipment room, a Runic Ritual room, and a Library.

"Before I show you the workings of each room, I need to add you to the wards, please follow me." Perenelle walked forward and the door directly in front of her opened to her office. She then proceeded to tap her wand against the back wall of her office, and much like the entrance to Diagon Alley, a stone archway was formed.

Hermione looked around fascinated by the room. The whole room was practically covered in Runes. Even though she had studied Runes for a year, she couldn't decipher the meaning behind the Rune Array. At the centre of the room was a white marble slab, on which rested a floating cube, red in colour, which was littered in Runes as well.

"Professor?" Hermione asked.

"Yes Hermione. . . ?"

"What is this room?" Hermione asked looking curiously at the cube.

"This room is the Ward Room, and the cube you see there is a Ward Stone. The wards protecting this floor are tied to this room." Perenelle said walking up to the stone and motioned Harry to step up on the slab. She handed him a short knife, engraved with gemstones, and said, "Harry make a short cut on your palm, and then place your hand on this cube, after that channel some of your magic into the stone, it should be similar to a feeling with a wand, go on."

Harry carefully took the knife and glancing at Hermione, made a cut and quickly placed his hands on the stone, ignoring the stinging feeling the best he could. He channelled his magic, and was mesmerised by the feeling of his magic finally having an outlet. He kept this up for a few seconds before the stone pulsed with a faint red light.

"Well done Harry. Hermione, if you would do the same thing." Perenelle said as she tapped his palm with her wand and healed the cut he had made. Hermione did the same and again the stone flashed.

"Now you have the same Ward clearance as me and Albus, there are many benefits that I will tell you later in the summer." Perenelle said.

They walked back into the circular room, and the door to the office closed with a snap.

"This room is generally known as the Entrance Chamber. The six rooms each shuffle themselves, the way to recognize each room it to just think about which room you want to enter, and the corresponding Door will open. Try thinking about the Library." Perenelle finished with an encouraging nod towards Harry.

Harry just thought '_Library_' and the door that they had just walked out of, opened.

The Library was a big square room, with three bookshelves, extending from the floor to the ceiling. There were comfortable looking couches, and some tables and chairs. The room was lit by Lamps with blue flames and had some table lamps on the tables. The ceiling was somehow charmed to show the outside atmosphere, similar to the Great Hall at Hogwarts. Harry could honestly see himself spending time over here, reading. Hermione would probably set up her camp and start living here.

"Professor? Why do the bookshelves look like they contained more books than what is present now?" Hermione asked.

Harry had noticed this as well, but thought that these were all the books that were present.

"I have taken some of the more difficult books that you would be unable to understand before prior knowledge of the subject. I will be re-stocking the library, as I see fit. Come on, we will be returning here after you finish looking at the other rooms." Perenelle said.

Standing in the Entrance Chamber again, Hermione was asked to pick the next room. She thought of a room for a second, and a door to the right of them opened up.

Perenelle led them into the room, and smiled. "This room is the Target Range. You will be spending most of your time in this room; it is primarily used to practice Curses, Jinxes and Hexes. You can also practice your Shield charms, I'll demonstrate for you."

There were a total of seven lanes, and at the far end of each lane, approximately 50 meters from the start of each lane was a single humanoid shape with a wand like stick held aloft in his hand. There was screen-like contraption above each lane. Perenelle took out her wand, and before Harry could catch it happening, a curse had struck the dummy. Numbers flashed on the screen.

'89/93/::'

"As you can see, there are three numbers on the screen. The first number, gives you an idea of the power that you put behind the spell. The second was the accuracy of the spell, it calculates the chance that your curse will hit your opponent in a real duel, where both Duellists are moving. The third number, which isn't displayed, will tell you the time between each subsequent spell hit, calculated on the basis of the previous hit.

"Professor . . . how do we measure the power of a spell? Aren't some curses inherently more powerful?" Harry asked.

Perenelle cast an appraising look at Harry, and he smiled sheepishly. "That is a good question Harry, the answer lies in the fact that the Dummy has been programmed with a score of different spells, it breaks it down to simple numbers and measures the power according to it."

"So it is measured on a scale of 1 to 100?" Hermione asked.

"It is true for the Accuracy meter, but, the power meter has no upper limit." Perenelle replied.

"What is the highest that you have seen it go?" Harry asked in morbid curiosity. He saw a pained look flash across Perenelle's face, and hastily added. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean . . ."

"That's quite alright Harry, the highest that I have seen it go was 156, it was Professor Dumbledore who managed it. Although, there was another person that came close to trumping his record. I'm sure you will find out about that later." Perenelle smiled at Harry.

"Moving on." Perenelle tapped her wand on the side of the lane, and the Dummy was brought forward. She motioned for them to come closer, and they saw that there were different buttons, and a multitude of different curses, that was available once the flap to the Dummy's chest was opened.

"You can tap your wand to the side of your lane to bring the Dummy forward, and you can use these buttons to select the range of spells that the dummy can fire at you, the power behind each spell, and the time difference between each subsequent spell. You tap your wand on this particular spot on the Dummy, and it goes back to its position. Tap your wand against the side of the lane to make the Dummy start throwing spells."

"Professor, how can the Dummy cast magic?" Hermione asked.

"The Dummy is much like a wand Hermione; it is a conduct to magic." Perenelle turned the Dummy around and showed them a circular hole behind the Dummy. "This hole is filled up with a conductor of Magic that is tied towards the end of the lane, beyond that, there is a Magical Reservoir, that stores part of the Magic Energy that is cast on the Dummy and when we desire to practice our Shields, it sends out controlled amounts of the Spells that we have chosen to practice against."

Both the teens were listening to Perenelle's explanation with rapt attention, and Perenelle was enjoying herself immensely. They were honestly reluctant o leave the room when Perenelle told them to move to the next room. Harry was thinking about possibly asking the Goblins to construct a similar room at Potter Manor.

"Your turn, Harry. Choose a room."

Harry thought about the Duelling Room. And again, a door opened, this time directly behind them. They walked into a huge room, this was also square in its basic shape, but the ceiling extended at least 50 meters upwards. The walls seemed to shimmer, and Harry spied 4 Ward Stones at each corner of the room and assumed that there were similar stones placed at the four corners of the ceiling as well. The room seemed to be empty, but as they walked on the floor, Harry noticed that it had a springy feel to it.

"This room, the Duelling Room is used for mock Duels between members. As you might have noticed, the walls have been warded to absorb stray spells and transfers it directly into the same room that has the Magical Energy stored in it. It will be here that you will be taught to Duel against an opponent, when not participating in an Official Wizarding Duel." Perenelle explained.

"There's not much to explain in this room, you will know of its special characteristics when you begin training." Saying that, Perenelle led them towards the Entrance Chamber again. she informed them that he Equipment room was empty at the moment, but they would be using it soon enough.

"The last room, is the Runic Ritual room, I doubt that you would be using this room anytime soon, maybe just before you leave for Hogwarts." Perenelle said.

The Ritual room was much like the Ward Room, runes covered the whole room and in the exact centre of the room was a Runic Array inscribed inside a circle. The room was bathed in the light from the torches and the Runes carved were glowing eerily. The after smell of dried blood lingering in the air didn't go unnoticed by either of the two teens.

They gulped audibly. It suddenly struck them that it was not all fun and games, in their excitement they had apparently forgotten the reason that Harry was accepting the Apprenticeship. Needless to say, this was a wakeup call that they weren't going to forget for a long time to come. Harry was again reminded of his stupid decision of opting for Divination and a free period instead of taking Hermione's advice and taking Ancient Runes and Arithmancy as his electives. He shifted on his feet nervously, and Perenelle noticed this.

"Is something the matter Harry?" Perenelle asked sternly. She suspected that he was squirming due to the foreboding atmosphere of the Ritual Room, and she couldn't have that. His next statement caught her off-guard.

"I . . . um . . . haven't studied Runes at all. I took Divination as my elective." Harry said shamefully, his head lowered.

"That will actually help you Harry. I am well aware of your academic choices; Albus has informed me of everything that there is to know about you. I will help you with Runes, and you can register yourself for an external exam at the Ministry. You will be able to join Hermione in her Runes class next year. The same can be done for Arithmancy as well." Perenelle said mildly.

"That's fantastic Harry! I could help you with anything that you might have problems with." Hermione said with a brilliant smile on her face.

The three of them then went to the Library, and Perenelle walked to a bookcase and took out a book. Muttering silently, she waved her wand over the book once and the book was duplicated. She handed the book to both of them, and glancing down at the book, Harry saw the title.

_Mastering Your Mind by Ryos Grimhill_

"That book is the best book there is on the Mind Arts. I would recommend that you spend at least 3 hours every day to perform the exercises detailed in the book. I will be checking you progress weekly." Perenelle said sternly.

The two teens nodded, and Hermione immediately sat down and began reading her book.

Harry bit his lip nervously and approached Perenelle.

"Professor?"

"Yes, Harry?" Perenelle asked turning towards him.

"How much do you know about Sirius Black?" Harry asked with a serious expression on his face.

Perenelle appeared surprised by the abrupt question, but answered nevertheless.

"I know that he is innocent Harry, but I can't do anything about it until we get a grasp of some undeniable evidence." Perenelle said soothingly, as if trying to calm a coming storm. She watched as Harry sighed in relief, and her curiosity grew as she saw him dig into his pocket and fish out a letter.

Harry mutely handed her the letter, and motioned for her to open and read it. Harry waited until she had finished reading, and asked her a question.

"Could you take me to Gringotts, I don't think I can handle this on my own." Harry said. Although he appeared to be nervous, his tone was firm.

"I can't see why not. Your godfather seems to have been planning for your safety for a long time, although I might have to change my plans for the summer, I think that it would be for the best. Have you told him about your Vampirism?" Perenelle asked gently.

Harry shook his head negatively.

"Do you think I should?" Harry asked.

"I am here to guide you Harry, but I won't be making every small decision for you. You will lead your life as you see fit, I'm just going to make sure that you won't be harmed and to pass on my knowledge. I will care for you Harry but I definitely won't coddle you, far from it in fact." Perenelle said.

Harry digested this new information for a second."Thank you Professor, I think I now understand what having a mentor will be like." Harry said shortly.

"Glad I cleared that up. So when would you like to go to Gringotts?" Perenelle asked.

A/N:- Sorry for cutting it short, but the next chapter will have Gringotts, Harry's new wand, and the Granger's reaction. Review Peolple!


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter

**Warnings: **Violence , and Mature Themes.

**Chapter 9**

Harry's head was spinning with all the information that Perenelle had tried to tell Harry about interacting with Goblins. He never knew there were so many things that could be interpreted from just a smile.

Walking down the streets of Diagon Alley, he was immensely thankful for the hooded cloaks that concealed his face. He didn't want to be mobbed after all. Perenelle had said that she also had some work at the bank, that would require his presence for it, and had suggested to get done it together with Harry's business at the bank today itself. Perenelle had suggested that Hermione stay behind and occupy herself at the library, she told them that it would be better if Harry was the only one that showed up at the bank today. Hermione had appeared torn between the idea of spending some quality time in the newly discovered Library, and her desire to help Harry at the bank, but had relented after Harry told her that he could handle it himself.

Walking up the marble steps to the entrance of the bank, Harry brought his hands to the hood of his cloak and lowered it; Perenelle had said that Goblins didn't react to disguises that well and he would be better off without one. Perenelle walked away going down a different corridor and told him that she would find him after she had completed her work.

Fingering the letter held in his hands, he waited in line for his turn to come. Waiting patiently, Harry observed that people that were ahead of him in the line, and was thankful for the guidance that he had received earlier in the day.

As his turn came up, he stood confidently and said in a strong voice, "I would like to request an audience with Senior Accountant Bloodroot please." Harry said.

The Goblin stared down at him, a sneer plastered on his face.

"Name?" he grunted.

"Harry James Potter." Harry replied confidently. The Goblin directed a fierce look at him as soon as he had given him his name.

Harry barely flinched at the look he was receiving, and calmly looked at the Goblin straight in the eyes. Harry held his amusement in check as he saw the Goblin scowl before he punched a button on his desk (Harry assumed) and said, "A Goblin will escort you shortly, wait in the waiting lounge."

Still looking at the Goblin directly in the eye, Harry said, "Thank you for your time." And promptly went towards the waiting lounge.

He had barely sat down on the couch as a Goblin appeared and motioned for him to follow him. Harry had to practically jog to keep up with the Goblin as he was led down various hallways. '_For creatures having such short legs, they move surprisingly fast._' Harry thought.

The Goblin escorted him to a set of red coloured doors that had intricate carvings on it. He motioned for Harry to enter, and waited for him to make a move. Shrugging, Harry opened the door, and stepped into Bloodroot's office.

"Mr Potter, I've been expecting you, please have a seat." The Goblin was more refined than the others at the bank, and was wearing copious amounts of gold ornaments on his person. He had spare amounts of white hair that was trimmed to perfection, and unlike normal Goblins, didn't have hair growing out of his ears.

"Thank You." Harry said, as he took a seat. "I assume you have received a letter from Lord Black?"

"You would be correct in your assumption Mr. Potter. I presume you want to go through with it?" Bloodroot asked, his eyes gleaming.

Harry hesitated. But steeled his resolve, and said confidently, "Yes." He couldn't afford to back down now.

Bloodroot stood up, and motioned for Harry to do the same. Harry got up and followed Bloodroot through a door that was behind his desk.

"I have made all the arrangements for your emancipation, when you walk out of this bank you will be an adult in the eyes of the Wizarding world." Bloodroot said.

Harry nodded. "I would also like to have my parent's will read. I would appreciate it if you could inform the concerned authorities."

Bloodroot didn't react to the statement, but as they entered yet another office he said, "It will be done."

The office that they had entered didn't have adequate lighting, and he felt a tingle go down his spine as he entered the threshold. Harry was feeling distinctly uncomfortable without his wand, and he clenched his fists tightly to ebb his nervousness. At the centre of the office, was a desk and a single chair lighted by a single desk lamp. As he approached the table, Harry spotted several documents spread out neatly on it.

Harry sat down on the desk and read the documents. He was unable to understand many of the official terms but summarizing the documents in his mind, he realized that it was basically granting him an adult status in the Wizarding world.

There were three documents in total, and six places for him to sign.

"Everything seems to be in order Bloodroot." Harry said as he put the final document down.

Bloodroot inclined his head slightly, and dug out a unique quill with an unusually sharp tip from his clothes.

"This is a Blood-Quill Mr. Potter. You need to sign these documents in your blood. It will sting a bit, but make sure that your hand doesn't falter."

Harry nodded and held out his hand, palm upwards. Bloodroot's smile was positively terrifying.

Harry grabbed the quill firmly and signed his name. Blood red ink seemed to soak into the parchment and was accompanied by a stinging pain in the back of his hand. Harry hardly noticed it. Signing at the remaining five spaces, Harry put down the quill and looked at his hand. He was fascinated as he watched the wound, shaped in the same way as his name fade into the skin, leaving unblemished skin in its wake.

"Congratulations Lord Potter. You are now emancipated; if you would follow me I will lead you to the Potter accounts manager." Bloodroot said with a deep bow.

Harry followed him, and was met with the sight of a familiar Goblin. If he remembered correctly, he was the same Goblin that had escorted him to his Vault the first time he had visited his Vault, back in first year.

"Griphook?" Harry questioned.

"Yes Lord Potter."

"Pardon my rudeness, but what are you doing here?" Harry asked.

"I'm the Potter account manager my Lord." Griphook said, and motioned for him to take a seat.

"Thank you for your help Bloodroot, I'm sure you have pressing matters that need attending to." Griphook said with a dismissive wave of his hands. Bloodroot bowed once and left the chambers. Harry raised an inquisitive eyebrow towards Griphook.

"Think nothing of it My Lord. It is simply standard procedure." Griphook stated.

Harry wasn't convinced that it was 'standard procedure' but put the thought out of his mind. He noticed that Griphook's office was more welcoming that the office of Bloodroot and he wasn't dressed as glarishly as Bloodroot was.

"First off, congratulations. I have been eagerly awaiting for you to claim your Lordship. I was handling the Potter's accounts for your parents and your grandparents. My family has been serving the Potter line for a long time." Griphook said.

Harry was surprised by the information, but kept his cool. It would not serve him well if he was surprised by anything. He was Lord Potter now and had to act as such.

"Thank you. I would like to read my parent's will now Griphook." Harry said.

"Your parents never had a written will My Lord. They had however left specific instructions regarding your inheritance." Griphook said.

Harry frowned at this. He had really been looking forward to reading his parent's words.

"What are these instructions exactly?" Harry asked.

"It all boils down to the fact that you are the sole heir of the Potter fortune. Apart from that, they had had left specific instruction that you were not to be a part of any contracts or any other entanglements without your consent. As a result, you wouldn't be a part of any Arranged Marriages." Griphook said.

Harry was silently thanking his parents for their foresight.

"Could you show me my portfolio? It would help me decide my next order of business." Harry said.

Griphook nodded silently and handed him a leather bound folder.

"Your parents had liquidated all their shares and holdings during the last war. A brilliant move if I say so myself. So all that that Potter Vault holds right now is your Liquid assets and a majority of the personal belongings of Potter Manor." Griphook said.

Harry's head snapped up at this new information. "So everything wasn't destroyed?" Harry asked breathily.

"No, My Lord. The Potters have always been a warrior family and as such have made many enemies throughout their legacy. They had an agreement with Gringotts that allowed them to transport their important belongings to a special Vault meant for that purpose." Griphook said.

Harry nodded and looked at the forgotten Portfolio in front of him.

_**Potter Family Vault**_

_Liquid assets:-_

_2,103,900,000 Galleons_

_13,967,900 Sickles_

_239,567 Knuts_

_Shares and Holdings:-_

_NIL_

_Others:-_

_Assorted Personal Items_

_Trust Fund for Harry James Potter_

Harry was dumbfounded by the amount of money that was his now. He had known that his parents were wealthy, but this was ridiculous. He took a moment to compose himself, and then looking at Griphook said, "Griphook, I would like you to tell me how much would it cost to restore Potter Manor to its former glory? I intend to make a few changes in the layout though."

Griphook was pensive for a moment before he said, "My Lord, I cannot give you an estimate, but I assure you that you will not be having any shortage of funds if that is what you are worried about. May I suggest that you visit your Vault and in the meantime I will get a hold of the best construction workers that the Wizarding World has to offer."

Harry nodded eagerly. It wasn't the gold that he was eager to see, it was the thought of owning things that belonged to his family that made them priceless in his mind.

"If you would follow me, My Lord." Griphook said as he led Harry through many of the bank's complex hallways before he was standing in front of the infamous Gringotts carts. Harry grinned inwardly and got in the cart, he had enjoyed his last cart ride immensely.

The ride was considerably longer than his previous one and as they descended deeper into the labyrinth beneath Gringotts, Harry noticed that the walls were lined with marble, instead of the upper levels that were lined with stone; and was quite classy in his opinion.

"Potter Family Vault." Griphook announced as the cart slowed down to a stop. Harry stepped out of the cart behind Griphook and was awed by the sight before him. The vault door was a circular door of what appeared to be pure gold and in the centre of it was the Potter Family crest. A silver shield, with two swords criss-crossing behind the shield, its blade and hilt protruding outwards from the bottom and top respectively. At the centre of the shield was a Yin-Yang symbol with a black Phoenix ascending upwards along the white part of the symbol and a white Basilisk along the black portion of the symbol. The crest was not fully visible as the vault doors were covered in a thick layer of dust. Harry was surprised at seeing this, he had figured that the Goblins would have made sure that the Vault would be properly maintained.

Harry walked slowly towards the vault door, his eyes fixed unwaveringly at his family's crest. As Harry approached closer to the crest, he could make out faint markings written all along the circumference of the circle. He recognized them as Runes, again berating himself for not learning them. He stood in front of the door and then turned around and looked at Griphook, an expectant expression on his face.

"Place your hand on the vault door My Lord." Griphook said helpfully.

Harry shrugged and placed his hand on the door, more specifically on the crest. As soon as his hand made contact with the crest, a gong-like sound permeated the space and the Door seemed to lose its filthy appearance and regained its former lustrous appearance. There was a sudden hiss of released air and the Vault door slid sideways into the wall. Harry was surprised to see a fairly furnished room, decorated with a couple of portraits and a single couch at the far wall. In the centre of the room was a table with a single chair that was almost throne-like in its appearance.

Walking into the vault, Harry noticed that there was another door that apparently led nowhere. Harry again turned expectant eyes towards Griphook.

Griphook, still standing outside the vault door began his explanation.

"This room is where you can conduct all your withdrawals. All the money belonging to you, My Lord, is stored separately in an underground chamber with no access to the outside. You must simply sit on the throne and write out the amount of money you wish to withdraw. The door inside the room leads to a cavern that has all the other Potter Family heirlooms and the recovered items from Potter Manor."

Harry thanked the goblin for his help and asked if he could be left alone for some time. Griphook acquiesced and told him that he will be returning to the top levels of the bank to contact various Construction Contractors, and that he would be sending another Goblin down here immediately. Harry thanked him and the Vault door closed on its own accord.

Harry walked to the door and opened it quietly . . .

(End Chapter)

A/N:- I'm really sorry for the shortness of this chapter . . . but I had a lot of difficulty writing this out. Next Chapter will be out much quicker than this.

I need some ideas on how much you want Harry to use the Dark Arts (He's a Vampire after all. . . ), and Hermione for that matter. . . . but I will definitely not be making them evil, and your thoughts about the amount of smut in the fic. ( But It Definitely Won't Be A Smut Fic.)

And I had another Idea of introducing some Elves (Not House-Elves) that may bond to a Witch/Wizard, and help in the upkeep of the house of their chosen Master. Harry could feed off them when he gets low on Blood ( Only the Female Elves of course). But Hermione( And eventually Daphne and Tonks) will be feeding _exclusively_ from Harry. I would appreciate it if you could tell me your thoughts via a Review . . . .


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter

**Warnings: **Violence , and Mature Themes.

**Chapter 10**

Harry walked into a cavernous chamber that he estimated was much larger than the Great Hall of Hogwarts. As soon as he stepped inside, the chamber lit up brightly with light, and looking around, Harry wasn't positive that he had located the source of the lighting. Brushing it off as a peculiar Magical phenomenon, Harry turned his attention to the contents of the cavern. It was best described as a mess, and that was putting it lightly. The only thing that seemed relatively organized was the dozens of Bookshelves that Harry saw were lined towards the back of the chamber.

'Those must be the books from the Potter Library.' Harry mused as he walked around the disorganized possessions that were his now. He honestly didn't know what he was expecting to find as he waded through the various artefacts and the recovered items from Potter Manor. Glancing around casually, he spied various oddly shaped instruments, and copious amounts of Jewellery and an abundance of precious gemstones scattered around, either encased on shelves or overflowing from within trunks. There were also various armoured suits scattered throughout the chamber.

It was a while before Harry caught sight of something that he had been searching for. He had hoped that his parents had been thought to mark the items in their house at Godric's Hollow for recovery as well, and as he approached the three trunks, his hopes were met.

There, lying together, resting against a pile of other trunks were the three trunks that mattered to Harry the most. He wiped the small amount of dust that had settled over the name plaque of the Trunks. They simply read, '_Harry'_ , '_Lily'_ and '_James'._

He traced the names of his parents with his finger, lost in his thoughts. So much had happened to him recently, and he was not sure if he was even able to make sense out of it. He was simply living each day as it comes and he honestly hoped that he wouldn't have to continue like this for long. Harry didn't know how long he sat in front of the trunks, just gazing at the names, thinking about how his life would have been if Voldemort hadn't killed them. He would be living happily with his parents, Sirius would not have been on the run from the law, and Remus wouldn't have distanced himself from the Wizarding world . . . If only . . .

'_It does not do to dwell on dreams Harry, and forget to live.'_

Harry froze as Dumbledore's words echoed through his mind and wrecked his train of thought. He got up hastily, staring at the trunks with a torn expression on his face. He would like nothing more than to spend the rest of his time going through the contents of the trunk, but he knew that if he did so, he wouldn't be able to handle it.

Harry sighed as he backed away from the trunks.

'_I'm sorry mum, dad, but I will definitely come back. Definitely.'_ Harry thought and walked out of the chamber, closing the door behind him softly. He walked wearily over to the couch and sunk down on it bonelessly, emotionally exhausted. He rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly, and took a few deep, calming breaths.

Trying to distract himself of his earlier thoughts, Harry got up and walking over to the throne-like chair in the room, sat down upon it. He felt a tingle at the nape of his neck, and realized that it was associated with magic that was being coursed through him.

A paper appeared before him on the desk with various options of withdrawing money in the form of either Wizarding money or Muggle currency. Harry wrote out 10,000 Galleons and 50,000 Pounds to withdraw, figuring that he would be needing the money when he went to stay with the Grangers; he intended to buy himself clothes of his own. As soon as the tip of the quill left the paper, it glowed once and two deceptively small pouches were deposited on the table in front of him. One of them marked with a golden 'G' and the other with a green 'P'.

Harry peered into the pouches curiously, and he saw that the inside of the pouch was considerably larger. Pocketing the two pouches, Harry took one last glance at the door leading to his parent's trunks and walked out of the Vault. The door snapped into position as soon as he had stepped out, startling Harry slightly. He saw that there was a Goblin waiting for him, and he took a cart ride back up to the Bank. Even the cart ride was unable to pull him out of his thoughts, and he was surprised that he had reached the Bank in such a short amount of time.

Harry was greeted by Griphook as he walked towards the entrance of the Bank.

"I presume you have concluded your business, My Lord?" Griphook asked.

Harry nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Griphook looked at him for a bit longer than necessary and told him that he had asked various representatives of Construction firms to meet with him shortly. Harry was surprised that Griphook had been able to gather them so quickly, but kept silent as he began following Griphook's lead. As Griphook was about to round a corner, Harry saw him freeze in place and he suddenly felt threatened, and was immediately on guard. Instincts taking over, he crouched down slightly, getting a firm balance on his feet, pried to deal with the unrecognized threat. Unknown to him, a slight wind began picking up at his position, ruffling his clothes slightly and his eyes gained a slight glow to them.

(Break)

Hermione huffed angrily as she again tried to concentrate on the book before her, she really should have fed from Harry before he had left a few hours ago, and now she was dealing with her hunger as well as the book that she was reading. As she had read the summary of the book on Mind Arts that Perenelle had given her, she was surprised to learn that the author didn't belong to the human race. The book was written by a Dwarf. This puzzled Hermione to no end, she knew for a fact that they had gone extinct in the mid-sixteen hundreds, but considering that the Flamels had been around for more than six centuries, she realized that it was certainly possible that Perenelle would have a book written by them. Although she knew next to nothing about the art of Occlumency, she suspected that there were not many people in the world that knew of this method of practicing the art.

She again read the passage of the second chapter of the book that detailed the beginnings of shielding your mind against intruders.

"_. . . after you have successfully found your magical core, you can begin to shape and manipulate it. Imagine your body as a whole and concentrate solely on your mind. You will eventually be able to envision a space that is the centre of your mind . . ."_

Hermione had no trouble in finding her magical core. She had begun doing that her first year after asking Professor Flitwick one of her endless questions, and he had told her that all witches and wizards could envision their core with little difficulty. Purebloods and those children raised in a Wizarding home could do it before attending Hogwarts, and by the time that they reached their final Maturity, didn't think much of it. It had taken her a few hours, but she had been able to see her core for the first time, and it was amazing to say the least.

Though the frequency of watching her core had decreased over the years, she still did it from time to time, and it never failed to calm her down and leave her with a sense of peace. She had taken the opportunity to see her core after the incident a few days ago. She was shocked the first time that she had seen it, previously, her core had been an average sized ball of pale blue, but it had changed to a royal blue colour, deep as ocean and had increased in size considerably, almost twice as large.

Hermione concentrated and was again met with the sight of her core, and she smiled warmly. She tried to envision her mind, but after a considerable amount of effort, sighed and came back to awareness. Her stomach growled. Hermione sighed and began reading the chapter again, looking for something that she might have missed, as she waited for Harry to return from Gringotts. She was regretting her decision to not accompany him more and more as time passed on. She needed her drink, dammit!

(Break)

Perenelle was feeling quite happy after accomplishing her goal at Gringotts. After reading Harry's letter from his Godfather and reading about getting Potter Manor reconstructed, she had been hit with an idea, and she was sure that Harry would appreciate her help. Ragnok, the Director of Gringotts and more importantly, brother of the King of the Goblin Nations was a tentative friend of hers, and she wasn't sure that he would accept her request or not, but was happy that it had all worked out. She always hated asking others for a favour. She didn't grovel mind you, just asked politely. That was, after all, how she asked for favours.

Walking down the hallway, Ragnok at her side; she hoped that Harry would be alright after seeing the contents of his Family Vault. He was a 13 year old boy after all, no matter how mature he may seem. She hoped that what she had planned for today would distract him enough that he would temporarily forget his troubles.

Just as she was about to round a corner, she felt a great deal of magical force being emitted from the next hallway. She immediately recognized it as Harry's and hurried up in front of Ragnok, correctly interpreting his distress. Ragnok wasn't suppressing his aura, and Harry's instincts, his inherent _pride_, associated with being a Vampire must he reacting to it. As she came in view of Harry, she was amazed at the literal spring well of power that oozed from him, coupled with his glowing eyes, she was sure that anyone that hadn't experienced such power before would be simply rooted to the spot. She hurriedly motioned for Ragnok, who was behind her and still not in view of Harry to suppress his aura.

(Break)

Harry was surprised to see Perenelle walk in front of him, but he didn't let up on his stance. He was confused however; he could have sworn that he felt threatened in some way.

"Professor?" Harry questioned.

Perenelle walked over to Harry, and noticing Griphook standing behind him, bowed at his hips; she ignored his presence and draped her hand on his shoulders and stood behind him, whispering softly so that only he would be able to hear her.

"You need to calm down Harry. I know it may sound confusing, but I will be teaching you about your Vampire heritage later. There is a Goblin that I need you to meet, be respectful, but don't forget that you are a Lord, and more importantly a Vampire." Perenelle said softly.

Harry was thoroughly confused by Perenelle's words. He had read everything that there was to read about Vampires in the Hogwarts Library, but what she said and his own reaction earlier hinted at a fact that there were some things that were not written down anywhere, things that he was experiencing lately. He nodded subtly.

Harry looked up just in time to see a regal looking Goblin, tall for his race, standing in front of him. His presence practically screamed royalty, and Harry realized that this was the person or Goblin as the case may be that he was feeling threatened by. His fingers twitched subconsciously, moving near his cloak where he kept his wand, however useless it might be.

Harry noticed that Ragnok was eyeing him, as if estimating his worth and if he was to take a guess his threat level. Ragnok smiled disarmingly at him, and said, "You must be Lady Perenelle's new apprentice, I must say it is a pleasure. I am Ragnok Swiftblade, Director of Gringotts."

Harry was confused as to how he should address him, but was saved from answering by Perenelle. She recognized what Ragnok was trying to pull here, and she would not stand for it. Her Apprentice might be a little wet behind the ears, but she was going to change that.

"Please Director, I think that we should finish up our business as _swiftly_ as possible, don't you?" Ragnok smiled a feral smile in response.

"Indeed. Griphook inform the Gentlemen that you have called that their services are no longer required. The Goblins will be carrying out the construction of Potter Manor." Ragnok directed at Griphook.

Griphook stifled his startled gasp at that statement and bowed respectfully before he practically ran down the hallway.

(Break)

Harry released a tired sigh as he was walking down the marble steps of Gringotts. Judging by the absence of the sun in the sky, he realized that he had skipped lunch entirely while talking about the specifics of the way he wanted Potter Manor to be constructed. His interaction with Ragnok was strained at best, and he was happy when he left stating that he had other businesses to attend to. Despite that, it was an afternoon well spent in his opinion. He had said that he didn't want the outer structure to be altered in any way, but the inside of the Manor would be an eccentric mix of the Muggle and Magical world.

The plot of land was approximately 25 sq. Miles in area, and the Manor was a small part of it. He grinned slightly at the various additions that he had made to the Manor that were not present previously and couldn't wait for it to be completed, not to mention the surprise that Perenelle had promised him. As they were about to leave, Perenelle had motioned for Harry to go ahead and thus he had missed her handing over a thick roll of scrolls to Griphook, and muttering quietly. He was pleasantly surprised when he had asked when would it be ready. He knew that Magical Construction was bound to go faster than that in the Muggle world, but , he hadn't expected to be living in it next month! He simply couldn't stop smiling.

Perenelle was walking slightly behind Harry, looking amused at his smiling face. She would make sure that he had plenty of reasons to smile, he would be working non-stop to take down Voldemort, and it was bound to turn ugly. But, she wasn't preparing him to fight Voldemort alone, when she was done with him, his name would be whispered among the Wizarding World with the same reverence and fear associated with Merlin and Morgana.

"Come Harry, let's get that wand of yours looked at." Perenelle said, heading towards Ollivanders' and Harry, still smiling giddily, followed.

(End Chapter)

A/N:- So how was it? I hope that I was able to correctly convey the subtle change in Harry's mentality. Tell me if you have any ideas if you think that will help improve my writing . . . Thanks for reading. Also note that the story will turn slightly more mature, in the coming chapters. . . .

Review!


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter

**Warnings: **Violence , and Mature Themes.

**Chapter 11**

Harry entered Ollivanders, the wand shop, with a smile on his face. He just couldn't stop thinking about his under construction Manor. Deciding that he would think more about it later after he told Hermione all about it, Harry took a deep breath and noticed his surroundings. He was surprised to see that Perenelle had already gone over to Ollivander and was conversing with him in soft tones. They seemed to notice his gaze and as one, turned towards him. Perenelle motioned for him to join them and Harry walked forward.

"Hmm . . . I have never met such an unusual young man such as yourself, Mr. Potter." Ollivander said his eyes boring into his.

Harry scowled inwardly. But he calmly replied, "I can say much the same for you Mr. Ollivander."

Ollivander chuckled deeply. He walked closer to Harry and said, "Penny tells me that you are having problems with your wand. Did something happen to you recently, Mr. Potter? Something that you suspect might be the cause of it?"

Harry was confused at the question, he understood what he was asking perfectly, but he was confused why exactly he was asking him this. He suspected that he already knew about his Vampirism, but couldn't think a reason for his question. So, he stayed silent and stared at him, his eyes unflinching.

The two of them stared at each other for seemingly, a long time, but was almost a minute at the most. Ollivander was the first one to look away. He stepped back slightly and turned around walking towards the back of his store. Harry stared at his retreating form, thoroughly confused. The whole day had been filled with him having a sort of battle of wills with important people, Director Ragnok was the first and now Ollivander. He had a feeling that it was something important, and was happy at the fact that he seemingly hadn't lost the battle once today.

"Follow me Mr. Potter." Came Ollivander's voice from somewhere near the back of the store. Harry cast a wary glance at Perenelle, but at her encouraging nod, straightened up, and walked confidently towards Ollivander's voice.

He looked around curiously at all the different types of wand that littered the shelves of the shop, as he was walking forward he noticed that there was a door, open in front of him, and again heard Ollivanders voice call out to him, confirming to him that Ollivander was indeed inside the room.

"In here Mr. Potter."

Harry walked into a dimly lit room that had sparse few things in it. But he noticed that there was a thick wavering in the air, near the floor, in front of where Ollivander was standing. Ollivander must have noticed him looking at the spot, because he said, "You can see it Mr. Potter?" Ollivander asked, looking mildly surprised.

"Yeah." Harry replied, wondering what exactly he was supposed to be seeing.

"Simply splendid!" Ollivander enthused, catching Harry off-guard. He cleared his throat when he noticed Harry staring at him with a bewildered expression on his face.

"Your wand needs work Mr. Potter, in lieu of your . . . _ascension_ from the human race, your wand needs to be tweaked slightly in order for it to work properly. Although Penny has asked me to craft you another wand, I presume that you would like to have your old wand work for you?" Ollivander asked as he tapped the floor in front of him with his foot, and the floor depressed onto itself and a stairway was left in its place.

Harry nodded. He liked his wand. It had helped him in a spot of trouble more times than he cared to remember.

Ollivander smiled seeing Harry nod. He would hate for one of his creations to gather dust just because the user didn't care enough for it to fix it. He rather liked Harry for that. He had no doubts that he would one day change the world; he had ascertained that much earlier. Even newly turned, he carried himself as if he was a Vampire Prince for a few decades, he couldn't wait for him to come into his own potential. Magical creatures, much like himself, had a presence, a type of radar that warned them when to fight and when to bow down. It was obvious to see that Harry had no idea about their little staring contest earlier, but even subconsciously, his presence had overwhelmed his own, leaving it beaten. All of his experience had meant nothing against his raw power, and being a Vampire, he was already quite high up on the food chain. Sometimes it sucked being a Sprite, Ollivander grumbled to himself silently.

He proceeded to walk down the stairs, Harry following close behind him. Harry looked around at his surroundings, and saw that he was in a tunnel of sorts lined with wood, on all the sides including the flooring. The structure of the tunnel reminded him of the numerous secret passages of Hogwarts, and he wondered if it was somehow related. They eventually emerged, after a short walk, into a room that reminded Harry of Dumbledore's office, although Dumbledore's office was much more organized. Things were strewn about the room, bubbling cauldrons that occasionally let out a puff of smoke, numerous containers that were labelled, and pieces of wood and splinters were scattered all over the place.

"Welcome to my humble abode Mr. Potter. This is where I work and where I make my wands. If it seems messy . . . meh, It's the way I like to work." Ollivander said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Harry walked up to one of the flasks curiously, but turned slightly green as he read the description on the label and hurriedly walked up to Ollivander, who was smiling at his slightly green face. Harry scowled.

"Now Mr. Potter, we will be repairing your old wand before beginning work on your new one. Please take out your wand and try channelling your magic through it." Ollivander instructed as he walked closer to him.

Harry brought out his wand, and holding his hand straight, concentrated slightly and was again feeling his magic being blocked, as soon as his magic came in contact with it. He saw Ollivander peering at his wand closely, and then touched his wand with his finger and closed his eyes. He saw his lips moving but couldn't hear anything escaping his mouth. After doing this for some time, Ollivander stepped back and opened his eyes.

"That's enough Mr. Potter." Ollivander said and held out his hand palm upwards. "If you would please hand me your wand . . ."

Harry placed his wand in his hands and looked at Ollivander curiously, waiting for an explanation.

"Your magic has increased tremendously Mr. Potter, and as a result, your wand is rejecting it in order to save itself from being destroyed. It will require a little tweaking, and it should function normally. Although you will require a new wand in order to cast magic to your fullest potential. Quite a lucky coincidence, eh?" Ollivander said with a chuckle.

"Um . . .tweaking?" Harry asked as he followed behind Ollivander to his desk.

"Yes, it's quite a simple procedure . . . I carve some Runes into the wood, let it soak in a Potion that I make for some time, sprinkle it with a suitable magical conductor, and presto!, You have your wand back." Ollivander said, sitting down on a chair and opening a box to reveal a sharp looking pen.

"Have you done this before? I mean, has anyone else needed their wand . . . tweaked?" Harry asked apprehensively. Maybe it was a common occurrence, he thought. Even being a Vampire, he wanted to be considered normal. He hadn't realized that he was changing his mindset these past few days, but to others, he had changed. He was just doing whatever felt natural to him.

"Oh yes, I have had to do it many times, but you are the youngest one that had to have had this done." Ollivander replied. Harry saw him reach for a box kept on the table, and opening the box, Ollivander handed him three gemstones, two slightly larger than the other. Diamonds, if Harry had to take a guess.

"While I carve the Runes into your wand, I need you to channel as much magic as you can until I have taken your wand out of the Potion. Use the smaller stone, the others will be used for your new wand." Ollivander said and started to work on his wand.

Harry shrugged and finding a place to sit, placed the two larger stones in his pocket and held the stone in his hands. Figuring that it must be the same as when he had channelled his magic into the ward stone, Harry held the stone tightly in his fist, closing his eyes to concentrate better and began channelling his magic into it. He opened his eyes slowly as he felt that he could concentrate on channelling his magic while keeping his eyes open. He saw that his fist encasing the stone was glowing with a dull black light, he wanted to take a look, but knew that he wouldn't be able to concentrate on his task, if he was distracted.

So he kept up his assigned task, he got bored with it soon enough, but kept it up watching Ollivander work on his wand. He saw as Ollivander got up, apparently finished with inscribing Runes on his wand, and disappeared from Harry's eyesight as he entered another adjoining room that he hadn't noticed and came back with a small cauldron in his hands. Noticing Harry's inquisitive eyebrow, he asked "What is it?"

"How long do I have to do this?" Harry asked, gesturing towards his closed fist.

"Are you feeling drained, lightheaded perhaps?" Ollivander asked. He didn't really think that Harry would have that problem, but it doesn't hurt to be sure.

Harry furrowed his eyebrows in confusion; he wasn't feeling drained at all, he was sure that he could keep this up for an hour at least, judging by the amount of magic that he was pumping into the stone. Thinking that he was doing it wrong, he increased the amount. "No, I was just getting bored doing this."

"You can stop when you think that you have used up enough of your magic." Ollivander said and took a seat near him.

"Now then Harry, before we start making your new wand, I need you to tell me the various Magical Creatures you have encountered . . . include as many details as you can." Ollivander said, seemingly lazing back for a long tale.

(Break)

Peter Pettigrew was walking to the nearby bar, in the town of Little Hangleton, glad to be away from his Master even for a few scant hours. He was on an errand for his Master, but figured that he had time for one drink. He had thought that he would be treated much nicer than he had been during the last war. He had been the only one to find his Master after all, but no, it would seem that his Master had grown quite bitter during his self-exile. Seriously, there were a lot of other Death Eaters that could have easily used their Mark to find him, but he was the only one to do so, he deserved some acknowledgement.

He entered the bar and scampered off to find the seat furthest away from the crowd to avoid getting noticed. Ordering himself a drink, he shrunk down on his seat and let his mind wander over the events of the past week. His dreams of splendour and being a powerful wizard, that he had while searching for his Master had ended abruptly when he had actually found him. He had expected to be rewarded for his efforts, but had instead been berated and ridiculed. This had continued throughout their journey back to Little Hangleton. He fed and generally took care of everything his Master needed; the grotesque form that he had taken was much like an infant, needing to be hovered over constantly. But, he still did everything that his Master ordered him to do. Things had changed 3 days ago.

While taking care of his Master one evening, his Master had screamed wildly, and after a few minutes of this, he had gone unnaturally still. Worried that he might have done something wrong, and trying to escape punishment, he had tried his hardest to figure out what had happened. Thankfully, his Master had awakened after a few hours, but the look in his eyes, as he had opened them would be seared forever in his mind.

It was one of utter _terror._

Wormtail had blinked rapidly, thinking that he was seeing his reflection in his Master's eyes, but as he opened them after blinking several times, the pure un-adulterated fury was what shone in his Master's eyes. He had asked him to leave him, and Wormtail complied to that order quite happily.

Yesterday, he had tasked him to recover Nagini, his Master's snake familiar from her hibernation. Wormtail had to practically wrestle the snake all the way back to his Master, even using magic, it was quite a difficult task for him. And what does his Master do as soon as he sees Nagini? He spoke in Parseltongue briefly, and Nagini had come over to his position. As soon as she came in contact with his Master, she had glowed with a sickly green colour and then dropped to the floor, seemingly exhausted. His Master's next words had surprised him greatly, his Master had told him that he wasn't strong enough to manage coherent speech.

"Dispose of her body, Wormtail." Voldemort hissed, his voice saturated with power.

(End Chapter)

A/N:- I have received numerous comments about not explaining Harry's changes after being turned( walking in daylight, strength, speed etc.). what I would like to know is, do you want the explanation to be included in the story, or should I write a note on it before the next chapter? {I know the storyline is slow, but I have a lot of thing to take care of before Harry goes back to Hogwarts for his Fourth year. Please bear a bit longer with me.}

Review your thoughts, and Thanks for reading.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto

**Warnings: **Violence , Gore and Lemons(Much Later)

**Chapter 12**

" . . . You have met quite a fascinating selection of creatures in your short life Mr. Potter. I think I might have an idea what to use for your wand cores." Ollivander said. Truthfully, there were only a handful of creatures whose parts were magical enough to be used as Wand cores. Harry had already met three of the more prominent creatures. A Phoenix, a Unicorn and a Dragon. Basilisk parts were also coveted as cores, but there hadn't been a recorded Basilisk for many years in Britain. Dementors were powerful Magical creatures but sadly, didn't have any parts that could be harvested. But he had a suspicion that no one had been insane enough o try it thus far. They were far too creepy; no wonder not much was known about them.

"Cores? As in multiple?" Harry asked. This was the first time that he was hearing of this. He thought that a wand had a single core.

"Oh not multiple cores, just a single core that has been augmented by using different essences of other magical creatures. It may strengthen the core further or it may not. Such things are hard to determine." Ollivander said. He was mentally reviewing all the various magical foci that were at his disposal, and he had a feeling that with a little help from Harry, he would be making his finest creation shortly. He honestly thought that Harry was worthy enough to be the owner of his proud creation. He saw that Harry was growing impatient with his constant absentmindedness and hurried on.

"But that comes later; we have to single out the wood for your wand. Follow me." Ollivander said getting up and going towards the blank wall on the right side of the door. He tapped the wall with his hands several times rapidly, in different positions and the wall faded away to reveal yet another door. He opened the door and motioned Harry to follow through.

Harry saw rows upon rows of wood pieces, some quite large, some just enough to make a single wand. The smaller ones were kept in containers, labelled with a date. The number of different woods that Ollivander had collected was mind-numbing, he wasn't aware that so many different trees even existed!

Ollivander seemed to know where he was going, and led Harry all the way towards the back of the room. He opened the cupboard that was placed there and took out seven stone cylinders. Harry assumed that they contained pieces of wood as well. Ollivander opened the stone containers one by one, and said, "Place your hand above each of these canisters and le your magic flow, see if you get a reaction." Harry proceeded to do so.

Ollivander knew that Harry would get a reaction from one of these specimens. Magical trees gained power the longer they live, and some were inherently more powerful than others. The trees that provided these specimens were his pride and joy. All of the trees were over 700 years old, and were the most suited of all the woods that made up the wands. He had grown and nurtured these trees carefully, and had taken the utmost precaution to prevent them from being harmed or stolen. Seeing that Harry had finished going over all of them, he brought himself out of his thoughts.

"This one's feels the most natural." Harry said. '_And strongest._' Harry added silently to himself.

Ollivander looked at the name of the tree on the canister. "Bloodwyn eh? You certainly don't do things by half do you Mr. Potter? Let's have a look at your first wand shall we, I think that it might be finished soaking for the next step."

Harry followed Ollivander to the main room, and watched as Ollivander poured the contents of the small cauldron on a tray on his desk. He asked Harry for the stone that he had channelled magic in, and taking it from Harry held it in his hands. He watched fascinated, as his hands glowed once and a fine sprinkle of powder, of what Harry assumed was the diamond; was dropped into the tray. After some time, he powder along with the potion started swirling inside the tray, forming patterns that Harry didn't recognize. The potion seemed to be seeping into the runes carved into the wand and into the wand itself. The process lasted for a little over 2 minutes, and Harry stared fascinated at his old wand.

It was the same shade, but the Runes carved along the length of the wand, were glowing slightly with a black pulsing light. The pulsation lasted a bit longer, and then the process was finished.

"Your wand, Mr. Potter." Ollivander said. He was always fascinated by the work that he did.

Harry's hands were trembling slightly; not enough to catch Ollivander's attention, and he grasped his wand. He immediately felt his magic almost sing joyously as it rushed down his arm, and unlike before, his wand reject his magic at all, it welcomed his magic with open arms.

He felt like a small 11 year old child that was holding his wand for the first time. The wand was absolutely amazing, and he felt whole again, he past few days, without his wand, he felt as if there was a part of him that had died. He now knew why he was feeling that way.

"This is amazing. Thank you Mr. Ollivander." Harry breathed.

"Think nothing of it Mr. Potter. I think we have kept Penny waiting long enough, I daresay she won't be happy about it." Ollivander chuckled.

(Break)

"You are getting slower Ollie, age getting to you?" Perenelle said with an annoyed expression on her face. She had been waiting inside this dusty, old wand shop for a little over 2 hours. She was irritated to say the least.

"Really Penny, you know Mr. Potter is a unique individual, and it took no longer than normal." Ollivander said with a dismissive wave of his hands.

"Do you require anything for his new wand?" Perenelle asked crossly.

"As a matter of fact, I do." Ollivander said with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"What is it?" Perenelle asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Mr. Potter told me that he slew a Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets in his second year. I think I would need to retrieve some things from that same Basilisk. I doubt that Albus would mind." Ollivander said. And as a bonus, he would get to visit a chamber that was designed by Salazar himself. This was turning out to be the most exciting day of his life, and considering his age, that was saying a lot.

"Clear it up with Albus and I'll bring Harry over there in the next few hours. How about, around 6." Perenelle said.

"That's perfectly fine." Ollivander said with barely contained glee.

Perenelle rolled her eyes at his gleeful expression. "Really Ollie, you are almost as old as me, act your age."

"Ah . . . but Penny, where's the fun in that?" Ollivander asked playfully.

Harry watched their interaction with an amused expression on his face.

(Break)

"So, where do we go next?" Harry asked as he left Ollivanders with Perenelle.

"Back to the Department. I assume you would want Hermione to accompany you when we go to the Chamber?" seeing Harry nod his head vigorously, she continued, "That's what I thought. Grab on."

Harry cast a wary glance a Perenelle's outstretched hand, and sighed as he gripped it. A moment later, he was in the Library at the Department.

"Hermione?" Harry called. He started walking towards the last place that she had been at. "Hermione . . ." He called again, and as he came in sight of the couch, he sight that greeted him, froze him in his tracks.

Hermione was on the couch, thrashing violently, the textbook that she was reading lying on the ground. Harry dashed forward towards her body, screaming her name just as Perenelle came to see what was wrong, seeing Hermione in his state, she muttered, "Oh dear. . ."

(Break)

Daphne Greengrass, Pureblood witch, and certified Ice-Princess of Hogwarts, was currently swiping at her moistened eyes as she ran away from her house as fast as she could. Running through the woods that surrounded her home, she stopped to a halt, and leaned against the tree, sitting down and resting her head on her knees. She couldn't bring herself o acknowledge the events of the past few hours.

Flashback

Daphne put the quill down with an accomplished smile on her face. She was sure that she would be awarded an 'O' for her essay on Defence Against the Dark Arts. But that was considering that they would not be getting another dreadfully inept teacher. Even if Lupin was a little shabbily dressed and had drooping shoulders, she couldn't deny that she had learnt a lot about the subject under his tutelage. Quirell was a bumbling, stuttering idiot, and she didn't even think Lockhart worthy enough to think about in her thoughts. Though there were a lot of rumours about Quirell that were floating around Hogwarts in her second year. She was brought out of her thoughts by the sudden popping arrival of their house-elf.

"Mistress, Lunch has been served." The house-elf exclaimed in a high pitched voice.

She nodded her head in thanks; she couldn't be caught by her parents thanking a house-elf. Typical purebloods, thinking everyone else was beneath them. ' _I was much the same as well. Thank god that I opened my eyes._' She thought as she got up, and freshen herself before going down for lunch.

She had voiced her thoughts and findings when she had returned from Hogwarts after her first year. Needless to say, her parents didn't take it well. She had been grounded for a month and had her wand confiscated. This would not be seen as a strict punishment as children were not allowed to use Magic outside Hogwarts, but she had been practicing magic since she got her wand when she was 9. Being a Pureblood had its perks, but she was beginning to think that being a Pureblood was not necessarily a good thing.

It was a simple fact, basic genetics. Inbreeding had caused an increasing number of deaths and birth of Squibs to Purebloods. Thankfully, she wasn't one of the unfortunate ones. She had spent the majority of her First year at Hogwarts researching about it and had compiled a very detailed and comprehensive report on it. But her parents didn't appreciate her findings, her parents weren't related before marriage but were firm believers of Pureblood Supremacy. His father had thrown the report on the floor and had whipped out his wand and set it ablaze. She didn't show it, but it had hurt her deeply. Even her mother had ridiculed her work. It was that day that she decided that she would live her own life, not one dictated and paved for her by her parents.

"Mother, Father." She greeted her parents as she sat down gracefully in her seat. Lunch was punctuated with silence, he same as it had always been. Even Astoria, her little sister, who would be starting Hogwarts this year, was eating her meal in silence. After finishing up, her parents sent Astoria away to her room, stating that they had something that they wanted to talk o Daphne about alone.

"Daphne, you turned 14 last month. There are certain responsibilities that fall on you that you have to accomplish now that you have passed your second Maturity." Her father, Arthur, said strictly.

Daphne's stomach sank. She had hoped that she would have some more time, at least until she had completed her O.W.L's. Her parents were firm believers of Arranged Marriages, and had drawn up a Marriage Contract with the Malfoys. She knew of the Contract's existence, she had discovered it last year in her Parent's Vault, when she had visited it alone. She had been trying to find a way for her to get out of it, but there was only one way to do so, without losing her life or magic. She hoped it didn't come to that.

"The Malfoy Family is a respected and worthy ally to the Greengrass Family. We have made many transactions with their help and I trust that the feeling is mutual. I would like nothing more than to make our business partnership a more personal one. I assume you know what I am talking about?" Arthur said.

Daphne knew that this was coming her way. She thought that she was prepared for it, but her choked throat begged to differ. After a long time, she nodded her head mechanically.

"I knew that you would see the right way Daphne. I was worried that you had strayed from our teachings when you showed us that report of yours, I am glad to see that my daughter is growing up. We can't have a lunatic in our family after all." Her mother, Thelma, said snobbishly.

Daphne felt a surge of anger at her mother's words. And before she could stop herself, words began pouring out of her mouth.

"Lunatic? The only one that is a lunatic in this house are yourselves. Don't you see that marrying only based on political and financial gain is slowly destroying the Wizarding World? Seriously, who in their right mind would agree to marry their cousin? You may not be able to wrap you tiny little Pureblood brain of yours around the idea, but I sure as hell am not going to marry o satisfy your wishes, and certainly not o Malfoy!" Daphne screamed and spun on her feet, intent to going up o her room. She knew that she would be paying heavily for her words, but right now she didn't care about that. She marched up o her room, and slammed the door shut, locking it for extra measure.

She punched her pillow repeatedly, trying o calm down her urge o destroy things. At least she was aware enough to not use her wand, the mess she would create would only further aggravate her situation. She knew that she only had one choice, but she wasn't ready for that yet.

She nearly jumped up in fright when the door o her room was literally blasted to the opposite wall.

'_Oh! Merlin . . ._'

(End Chapter)

A/N:- Sorry for the cliffie . . . but I just couldn't help it. Any thoughts hat you may have, bad, good, meh , Review!


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter

**Warnings: **Violence , Gore and Lemons(Much Later)

**Chapter**** 13**

"What's wrong with her?" Harry asked as he tried to calm Hermione down. Her breathing was laboured, and she seemed to be gulping rapidly. Perenelle got a good look at Hermione's form, and immediately recognized the symptoms.

"Harry she needs blood immediately." Perenelle said calmly. Hermione was in no danger after all, being a newly turned vampire; she just couldn't repress the hunger. She idly wondered if she should tell them about the changes that they would undergo. At first, she had thought that it would be amusing o see them discover their abilities on their own, but after this she wasn't so sure. She would need to have a talk with them as soon as possible. She couldn't let her excitement ruin their lives.

While she was thinking, Harry had bitten his wrist and held his bleeding arm towards Hermione's lips. She immediately latched on to the source of nourishment, and she stilled. As harry saw that she was beginning to open her eyes, he took away his hand and lifted her upright, sitting behind her, cradling her head in his shoulder, he waited patiently for her to fully regain her senses.

"H-Harry?" Hermione asked. She had been hit with the hunger like a freight train, approximately 10 minutes ago, and she had been losing her mind. Her instincts wanted her o find the nearest source of blood and drain it dry, but she had been fighting to keep that in check, she couldn't live with the knowledge that she was being controlled by her instincts. Thinking back on it, she found it odd that she didn't think about the person that she might have attacked.

"Shh~ Hermione, I'm sorry for taking so long. I was so excited by my day that I forgot that you didn't have your drink yesterday. From now on you are going to drink every day, even if you feel full." Harry said softly. Having said that, he gently grabbed the back of her head and guided it towards his neck firmly.

Hermione took a deep breath and was immediately assaulted by Harry's unique scent, and she could practically hear the blood rushing through his veins, letting go of the hold that she had on herself, she bit him gently, and slowly suckled his blood, succeeding in holding in her moan.

Harry himself barely felt the tiny prick on his neck; he held back his blush at Hermione's actions. She was basically sucking his neck, and being a hormonal teenager, he was hard pressed to guide his mind away from the gutter. After Hermione had her fill, she immediately hugged him and whispered her thanks softly in his ear.

Harry got up, and smiled sheepishly at Perenelle's amused expression. Perenelle was sure that had the two of them not been together they would have been far worse off. She pulled up a chair in front of the two teens and started on her explanation.

"It seems that I was negligent in informing you of the changes that you have undergone. Please hold on to your questions until I have finished my explanation." Perenelle said.

Harry and Hermione nodded silently.

"First of all, you should have noticed the physical changes. Vampires are immortal to time, they can be killed, but they cannot die of old age. Your strength, speed, and senses will be much greater than a Wizard's, however you will need to work hard to acquire the strength and speed. Right now, you are only slightly better than a Wizard. I will be instructing you in the exercises that you will be performing to increase them, this summer. Vampires are strongest in the cover of night, but seeing as you have retained you Magic and Soul, you will be as strong as a Vampire of your experience throughout the day and slightly better at night. You can be considered what is known as a Daywalker in Vampire clans, but since only the strongest of Vampires ever are capable of it, you are currently outmatched against a natural Daywalker. With me so far?" Perenelle asked.

The two wide-eyed teens nodded.

"Continuing on to your Magic. As you might have noticed, your core has been slightly expanded, and your core will begin to settle down after the transformation, within a couple of weeks. This is usually associated with a change in the colour of your magic core." Perenelle said.

Harry didn't have a clue what it was that Perenelle was talking about, but seeing Hermione nodding her head along, he nodded as well, making a mental note to ask Hermione about it after they were done for the day.

"Your Magical pathways are wider than a Wizard's, but since there are Rituals that produce the same effect, it is not much of an advantage for you until you undergo the Ritual yourself. Your body is also more resistant to pain, and takes lesser physical damage, but this effect is not transferred over to any Magic that is performed upon you. You will heal faster, and if you have ample supply of blood, it is almost to the point of regeneration, just remember that you cannot regenerate lost limbs, and so I would advise you take care of yourself." Perenelle said, releasing a huge breath after her explanation.

"The most important part for a vampire is Blood. As I have told you, you need to drink blood regularly, for the next few weeks and then you can reduce the frequency. I myself require drinking only once a month, which is as far as you, can go without Blood. I think that it would take you a couple of months to stave off your hunger for that long. You don't _need_ sleep, but I would advice that you don't push your limits and allow yourself some rest. That is all that you need to know at this moment, there are some other things, but I think that it can wait for the time being." Perenelle said. She hadn't informed them of their Aura, but she knew that they were a little too young for her sensibilities to inform them of the sex lives of Vampires. Judging by the closeness of the two of them, she was sure that it wouldn't be a problem for now. There was also the matter of interacting with other Magical Creatures, but seeing Harry today, she doubted that it would be a problem.

Seeing that Perenelle wasn't going to continue, Hermione asked her question.

"But both Harry and I need blood, won't this create an unending cycle of thirst?" Hermione asked. Really, she was the mentor to Dumbledore, how couldn't she see that.

"I thought that you would be smart enough to ask the house-elves for some blood, the kitchens of Hogwarts are sure to have an ample supply of blood, albeit it would be the blood of animals." Perenelle said. She didn't think that they would agree, as she herself found the idea demeaning. She couldn't imagine herself sinking her fangs into any animal and drinking their blood.

Harry and Hermione looked at each other; both of them crinkling their nose at the thought of drinking the blood of animals, and Harry voiced the thought that was going through both their heads.

"Isn't there another way? I am not inclined to enjoy animal blood." Harry said.

Perenelle hmmed in thought, and then replied, pointing at Harry. "Well is suppose that it's a valid thought, but remember that you might need to fall back on that in the future. But, you can always ask another person to donate their blood to you; I highly doubt that the females would mind." Looking at Hermione's flushed face, she smiled inwardly, knowing that she knew exactly what she was talking about. She would have asked the same thing that she had proposed to Harry of Hermione, but she had a feeling that she would refuse outright.

Harry had a confused expression on his face, and beside him, Hermione was blushing brilliantly. She thought about the single time that Harry had drunk her blood, and her heart skipped a beat. She imagined, another girl in that same position, and immediately her stomach tightened, her arousal rising. She shook her head. '_What the hell was that?_'

Harry thought about that, while the idea was appealing, there was the slight matter that he intended to keep his Vampirism a secret, at least until he graduated. Asking some girl for her blood would be a sure fire way to be labelled as a nut case inside Hogwarts. There was also the slight matter that the only female that he would consider asking that question to was in the same predicament as him. He didn't even want to think about drinking the blood of boys; that would be just plain creepy. And what did she mean that she doubted that they would mind, Hermione could barely walk straight after he had imbibed her blood!

"That might be possible, but we wanted to keep our Vampirism a secret. After last year, there has been an increasing in the amount of interest of the Daily Prophet towards me. If they were to know about this, I would be labelled as a Dark Creature, and I might be expelled. I don't want that. My parents expected me to finish my schooling and I don't intent to disappoint them." Harry said firmly.

Perenelle smiled inwardly. She was a very good judge of character, and seeing Harry she was sure that he would be the right choice for what she had in mind, but she would wait for a little while until she was sure and then offer her help. The High Elves that she was harbouring at her house were getting impatient at not finding a worthy person to bond themselves to, and if Harry came through, both of their problems would be sorted. It was sheer coincidence that most of the unbonded Elves were females.

Hermione snapped her fingers as she thought of an idea. "What about Blood-banks? It should be possible for us to acquire some blood from there." That would solve their problems admirably, she thought excitedly. Although it might be difficult to follow through with that idea, they couldn't simply go up to the desk and ask for a pack of blood.

Perenelle shook her head immediately. "That is not an option; Vampires need to drink blood directly from the source, either animal of otherwise. And considering that you are a Vampire with their magic intact, you will find that the Blood of Wizards and Witches or any other magical creature is much more appealing than that of a Muggle or a Squib. If you were to drink blood that was already extracted, unless it was immediately drunk, it would lose its magic present. Also you will find that if you drink the blood of a Wizard more powerful than yourself, it will replenish you reserves and over time it will even increase your own slightly." Perenelle said looking at Hermione and then pointedly over to Harry.

Hermione deflated slightly as her idea was shot down, but she was amazed at what she was insinuating.

"I think that I have a solution for your situation, but it will be a while before it is sorted out, I will have an answer for you by the time your Manor is finished Harry. In the mean time, I think that it would be best if Hermione would take blood from me and Harry can take it from you. But you need to be sure to drink every day, what happened to Hermione today isn't healthy." Perenelle said, looking at Hermione.

"I don't mind." Hermione answered immediately, she would miss drinking from Harry, but it was loads better than Harry drinking from Perenelle and Hermione from him, she thought with a faint blush.

"Well, now that that is over with, I will leave you two to talk, make sure that you are finished with it in an hour. We need to go to Hogwarts." Perenelle said as she stood up. She had started walking towards the door, when she seemed to remember something and turned back towards the teens.

"Ah, I almost forgot, hand me your wands for a moment." Perenelle said, holing out her hand.

Harry shrugged, and handed her his wand. He saw Hermione starting to open her mouth at seeing his old newly improved wand, and gestured towards her indicating that he would tell her later. Perenelle tapped his wand with her own and a blue misty smoke evaporated form his wand. She repeated the same process for Hermione as well.

"I have removed the trace from your wand, the Ministry will no longer be able to detect if you cast magic during the summers. But, you have to promise me that you won't take undue advantage of this, and won't cast magic in front of Muggles unaware of magic." Perenelle said sternly. Receiving two enthusiastic nods from widely grinning teenagers, she smiled as she left the room.

As soon as she had left, Harry grabbed Hermione's hand and hoisted her up on her feet and practically dragged her towards the Target Range, eager to test his wand out. He started telling Hermione about his day on the way there, and Hermione smiled softly, listening to his recount of the day.

(Break)

Daphne's Flashback

Daphne quickly took out her wand, and pointed it towards the door, the Stunning spell on her lips, ready to burst forth at the slightest hint of danger. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew who was responsible for this, but she still held on to her last vestiges of childhood hope that what she suspected wasn't true. Her hopes were shattered mercilessly, when she saw her father enter the room, a murderous expression on his face, his wand tip pointing directly at her. He entered the room, and barrelled directly towards her, a scroll clutched tightly in his hands.

As her father was coming towards her, she saw her mother come in as well, and hope blossomed in her heart that maybe, her mother was here to help her. She was shocked and betrayed when she saw her mother, take out her wand and fix the battered door.

"Daphne, I will not allow you to bring shame upon the Greengrass Family, you will be signing the Marriage Contract one way or another." Arthur said, his teeth clenched in rage. He turned towards Thelma and nodded his head. Daphne's fear increased as she saw her mother point her wand towards her and she decided that she would need to do what was necessary to save herself. She would think about the consequences later. She was just about to point her wand towards her heart, before she was shocked at the word that escaped her mother's mouth.

"**Imperio**"

Her mind froze, shocked at the possibility that her own mother would do this to her, sign her life away to another man, just for political and financial gain. As the pale grey light of the Imperius Curse came towards her, she panicked before a sense of calm enveloped her. She felt as if she was floating, all her worries and problems flowing away from her. Then she heard a soft, enticing voice of her mother penetrate her empty brain.

"_Sign the contract . . . Sign the contract and everything will be alright . . . sign the contract."_

Daphne was vaguely aware that she was shifting her body, moving towards her father who was at the desk, the scroll opened to reveal the contract. A quill was pushed into her hands as she sat down. She mechanically dipped the quill in the ink bottle, jerking it slightly to shake off the excess ink, just as the tip of the quill was about to touch the parchment, another voice, that sounded much like her own, echoed in her mind.

"_NO! DON'T DO IT!"_

She winced slightly at the loudness of the voice, and her hand stopped in its position.

"_Sign the contract, now!"_

The enticing voice was back. But she still had her doubts; her had jerked slightly, but didn't move.

"_Yes, fight it. You know about this, willpower is the key, FIGHT IT!" _The voice, that she was now sure was her own, sounded inside her brain, cleansing it of the fog that permeated her mind, slowly bringing awareness back to her.

"_SIGN THE CONTRACT!"_ The voice wasn't so enticing now, it was more annoying really. She struggled.

"What's taking so long?" Arthur asked his wife. He saw that she had obeyed perfectly at first, but was stilling in her actions now. Almost as if she was fighting the curse. He cast-off the ridiculous thought. His wife didn't reply, but he noticed the increase in the amount of magic that she was pouring into the spell.

Thelma was concentrating on making her daughter obey her wishes, but she was resisting. She was distracted when the door opened and her second daughter walked in, it would be all the lapse that Daphne needed to shake off the Imperius.

"Mom? Dad? Is everything alright, I heard a crash." Astoria said a worried expression on her face. She loved her sister dearly, maybe more than her parents, and was aware that her parents didn't get along nicely with her. She had heard the loud crash and had immediately come to investigate.

Distracted by the sudden appearance of their daughter, Arthur and Thelma turned towards her and missed the movement that Daphne made. What Arthur heard next, filled him with white hot fury.

"I, Daphne Evangeline Greengrass, do hereby relinquish my relation to Greengrass family, nullifying all responsibilities and inheritances, so I have said, so mote it be."

There was a brilliant flash of magic, and Daphne was enveloped in a cocoon of light.

As soon as Daphne finished, she grabbed her wand and grabbed her broom from where she kept it hidden under her bed, and flew out the window.

End Flashback

Daphne had flown low, intending to avoid making herself an easy target, and had flown directly into the woods. She had dismounted, and ran a bit further away from her house, until she was sure that she wouldn't be found out anytime soon.

She considered her options. She would need to stay low for a while, and going to any of her Pureblood friends for help was out of the question, not that she had many or trusted any of them. She needed to borrow some money, and think about what she could do with her life now. There was only one friend that came to mind, she just hoped that she was able to help. Shaking off her depression, she mounted her broom and flew away in the evening light.

(Break)

"**Petrificus Totalus**" Hermione said firmly, pointing her wand down the range, her wand emitting a pale blue light and the dummy seemed to freeze for a moment. She read the numbers that were displayed on the screen.

"66/58/::" were the numbers displayed.

Hermione huffed, no matter how much she concentrated; she just couldn't get her power up more than 66. She looked over to Harry, who was watching her in amusement. She stepped back from the range and watched as Harry cast the same spell.

"**Petrificus Totalus**" Harry said. The thread of magic that erupted from his wand was noticeably brighter and faster than Hermione's spell.

"73/67/::"

Hermione knew that Harry was much more powerful than her, and was capable of better results. Remembering that he had only recently started feeling his magic, she walked up to him and asked him to pour more of his magic into the spell. She backed away when she had finished her explanation.

Harry concentrated on his magic, and pulling up a much larger quantity of it than the amount he had used for the last one, he again cast the spell. The thread of magic was much more bright and fast, but the numbers that were displayed were confusing.

"0/0/::"

"Huh? What happened?" Harry asked as he turned around. He had theorized that it would yield better results that last time.

"I'm not sure . . . ." Hermione started.

"It's simple. You are not capable of casting magic with that amount of power right now." Perenelle said, as she came forward from the position she was in for the past minute, observing her Apprentice.

"But what does the zero mean?" Hermione asked curiously, after she had calmed down from the seemingly sudden appearance of Perenelle.

"The spell that you cast was wrong, it didn't work." Perenelle said. "You both have felt a sudden increase in magic, but you are not capable of using it efficiently. Things like this take time, now come on, we have to leave for Hogwarts." Perenelle said, holding out a sock.

Harry groaned on seeing the sock. '_I really hate this dratted thing._' Harry thought as he felt a pulling sensation on his navel.

(End Chapter)


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter

**Warnings: **Violence , Gore and Lemons(Much Later)

**Chapter 14**

The Portkey, as was becoming constant, dropped Harry on his backside in the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts. Harry got to his feet quickly, with as much grace as you could manage after being sprawled on the floor, and took note of his surroundings, and immediately went over to Hedwig, who had begun trilling happily as soon as she had seen Harry come into the office. While petting Hedwig, he noted that there were two cups of tea on the Headmaster's desk. Hermione had walked over to Hedwig as well, and joined Harry in spoiling the baby Phoenix.

"Harry, just in time, my dear boy. I understand that you want to go down to the Chamber Of Secrets?" Dumbledore said. He had been having tea with Ollivander, and he had left his office stating that he would be back when Harry arrived and would be waiting near second floor girl's toilet, saying that he was heading out to have a chat with Hagrid. Dumbledore assumed he wanted to ask Hagrid about any new developments that had taken place inside the Forbidden Forest after the last time he had visited. The forest had the largest herd of Unicorns in Britain, and he, with the help of Hagrid often asked the Unicorns for some of their tail hairs that he used in his wands.

"Yes Professor, Mr. Ollivander said that he had something to retrieve from the Basilisk. He said that it might be useful for crafting my new wand. Did he arrive yet?" Harry asked absently. He was distracted by Hedwig's attempts to fly; she had grown a lot and was apparently trying to impress him with her flying capabilities. He smiled softly at her, she would gain a few inches of flight and then plop down on his hands, her still developing wings, not capable enough to fly just yet. He could swear that he saw an amused glint in Fawkes's eyes at Hedwig's attempts.

"Yes, I have informed him of the place that has the entrance to the Chamber. I think we should proceed there now; he will no doubt be waiting for us over there. We have a little less than an hour before Miss Granger's parents will be arriving at the Leaky Cauldron to pick up the two of you." Dumbledore said, eyes twinkling.

Harry and Hermione glanced at each other at the Headmaster's statement. They knew that it would be hard to explain the physical changes that the two teens had undergone, but they had planned for it, and while Hermione didn't like lying to her parents, it wouldn't be the first time that she had done so.

Harry glanced at the silent form of Perenelle and could swear that he had spied the tiniest of nods accompanied by a smile on her face, so fast that it had gone in the blink of an eye. He saw as she made her way to Dumbledore's desk and unceremoniously opened one of the drawers and took out a few stones and pocketed them. He blinked at the petulant look that Dumbledore shot her, which she ignored completely.

The quartet along with a baby Phoenix made their way to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and were surprised to hear Myrtle giggling girlishly, and Ollivander waving his hands, gesturing wildly to accentuate his tale.

Dumbledore cleared his throat to bring attention to their group, and in short order, Harry was standing in front of the sink that had the snake engraved on its tap.

~Open~ Harry hissed at it. Dumbledore was a bit surprised at that, he had suspected that Harry's Parseltongue ability was connected to the curse scar that Voldemort had left him with. He assumed that Harry would lose this ability with the disappearance of his scar, and had prepared himself to blast apart the entrance to the Chamber. He was thankful that he didn't need to resort to that, however, it raised some questions that Dumbledore didn't have answers to.

The sink, and the surrounding plumbing, sunk into the flooring and a large hole was left in its place. Harry looked at the pipe that led to the Chamber and thought about what to do next. Last time, he was intent on saving Ginny, and didn't think twice before jumping into it, but now that there were no such pressing circumstances; he didn't want to slide down the slimy pipe. He turned towards Dumbledore with an expectant look on his face.

Perenelle cast a distasteful expression at the pipe and moved forward and waved her wand, in a long sweeping motion twirling it in a complicated wave. Stones that lined the pipe flew off the edges and hovered in a descending pattern, making a stairway down the pipe, and proceeded to walk down them. Dumbledore chuckled inwardly at the amazed expression on the two teen's faces. This was what he was hoping to provide Harry with, a childhood full of surprises and happiness. A combination of the Summoning Charm, the Stasis Charm and the Hover Charm, all woven together perfectly, was how Perenelle had accomplished the feat that had left the teens amazed. With Perenelle's training, they would soon be capable of that, and the novelty and amazement of this piece of Magic that was on the teens faces would not be present anymore. He still wasn't sure if he should have put up more of a fight concerning Harry's Apprenticeship.

Dumbledore joined Perenelle in making the path towards the Chamber more smooth, banishing fallen rocks and strengthening columns that were on the verge of collapsing. Harry hissed the open phrase twice more before they entered the actual Chamber. Hermione was casting wary glances at the shadows and unconsciously inched closer towards Harry. When they entered the Chamber she gasped loudly at the Basilisk carcass that lay dead on the stone floor. She just couldn't imagine a 12 year old Harry facing up to the Basilisk and surviving.

"Sweet Merlin!" exclaimed Ollivander as he saw the Basilisk. His mind was assaulted with all the things that he could use from such a large Basilisk for making Harry's wand, and perhaps keep some things for himself, to experiment on later.

Dumbledore wasn't as surprised at seeing the size of the Basilisk as Fawkes had shared his memory of the event with him. But it still amazed him when he thought of Harry facing the fearsome beast in his Second Year.

Perenelle glanced at the largest specimen of the King Of Serpents that she had seen. This was the third Basilisk that she had come across and her previous two encounters hadn't exactly been easy on her. Maybe being a Parselmouth had worked in his favour, it was well known that the feared Basilisk stare had no effect on them. "I have to say Harry, you must be very brave, not to mention skilled, to walk away from an encounter with this Basilisk." Perenelle praised appreciatively, a hint of pride in her tone.

Hermione just stared open-mouthed at the Basilisk and then at Harry, repeating it several times, as if confirming Harry was actually present before her.

Harry smiled bashfully at the praise that was given to him. "It needed to be done." Was all he said.

"Ollie, begin your work. I am not inclined to spend any more time than is necessary in this sewer." Perenelle said.

Ollivander nodded. "Albus, if you could help me in retrieving the Venom Sack from the Basilisk." He said and brought out several sharp tools from his bag, which he had slung across his hips.

Harry stared in morbid fascination as Ollivander with help from Dumbledore carved out the two Venom Sacks that were present in the Basilisk's neck. Blood sprayed from the gaping wound that had been inflicted, and Dumbledore levitated the two huge fleshy globs that were full of Venom. Hermione had turned away as soon as she had seen what Ollivander intended to do with the sharp knives, not willing to lose her lunch.

After they were done, Ollivander left, with the Headmaster providing him with a Portkey, stating that he would need to begin working on the Venom soon, an excited gleam in his eyes. Perenelle then started placing the various stones that she had taken from Dumbledore's desk. When Harry asked what she was doing she told him that she was transporting the Basilisk, and would be converting it into useful parts, such as Armoured Cloaks and would be storing the parts for later use. She also told him that since Harry as the one to defeat the Basilisk he was the sole owner of the Basilisk. Perenelle offered to take them to the Grangers, but Harry declined seeing as she was intending to use a Portkey, and he had enough of them this day. Harry, Hermione and Dumbledore then made their way back to the Headmaster's Office and Flooed to the Leaky Cauldron, waiting for Hermione's parents to show up. Harry had hidden the sleeping for of Hedwig with his robes, not wanting to draw attention towards her.

Harry spotted them first and indicated the same to Hermione. She got up and made her way across the bar to her parents, biting her lip nervously. Harry followed behind her silently.

"Mom, Dad." She called out, gaining her parent's attention.

"Hermione?" asked Emma, a shocked look on her face. Dan simply stared, wondering who the young woman who resembled his daughter was.

"Yes. It's me; I'll explain what happened in the car." Hermione said evasively, and grabbed her parent's hands and steered them out of the bar.

When the quartet reached the car, Hermione asked Harry to sit in the front seat, while she sat in the back with her mother.

"Hermione what happened? Your hair?" Emma asked, she was holding her daughter's chin and was gently turning it this way and that.

"As I told you in the letter mum, when I reached Harry's place, I noticed that he was not well, and contacted the Headmaster immediately. He arrived and escorted us to the Hogwarts. Madam Pomphrey, the Healer at Hogwarts, said that Harry was suffering a case of malnutrition. She gave him some Potions, they are what we use instead of medicines, for it and asked me if I would like some. After I was hospitalized in my Second Year, I was running a little low on it, and I accepted her offer. This is the result of us taking the Potions." Hermione explained.

"But why didn't you tell us? The blood tests that we conducted after you got back home last summer didn't show any lowered levels of nourishment." Emma asked.

"There are various other things that affect a Witches' body that do not show up on Muggle tests." Hermione replied, inwardly hoping that her mother would buy her ruse.

Emma was silent for a long time, she glanced at Dan in the front seat, and then sighed. "I am not sure about this Hermione, but I will accept your explanation. And for what it's worth, you look like a princess." She said smiling.

Hermione smiled tremulously, and looking out the window released a relieved breath.

Emma didn't ask why Harry needed the Potions; she had seen enough of his _family_ to know the reason for it. The rest of the journey home was covered in silence, each person lost in their own thoughts.

(Break)

As Dan pulled the car into the driveway, he noticed a figure that was hunched up in front of the door to their house. He was the first one to get out of the car, intent on asking, who he thought, was another homeless person to step off their property. As he walked up, he was surprised to see a girl, that had long blonde hair, and startlingly red eyes, appearing to be Hermione's age. As he got closer, he saw that his initial assumption was wrong, and the girl was wearing a cloak similar to what Hermione had to wear for her school. She had her head up, and he could see that she was scared of something. Before he could placate her and ask who she was, the rest of his family having caught up, Hermione exclaimed.

"Daphne?"

(End Chapter)

A/N:- Short Chapter, I know. I don't have any excuses other than I had some matters to take care of in life.

Regarding the concerns of the slow progress, this will only be till Harry begins his training and then I will only focus on the Plot rather than the training. Only his progress, and any new training will be described thereafter. So I ask you to be a little patient with me for a few more chapters.

On another note.

Should I bash Dumbledore? Weasleys? (Only Ron, Percy and maybe Charlie and Molly. The rest are cool)

Yes

No


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter

**Warnings: **Violence , Gore and Lemons(Much Later)

**Chapter 15**

"Daphne?" Hermione exclaimed as she saw her sitting at the front door to her house. She immediately cast a worried glance at Harry. While she knew that he wasn't as biased as Ron was, he didn't really mingle with the Slytherins. It was for this reason that she had kept her friendship with Daphne a secret from him, the only other secret that she kept from him. She was relieved to see that Harry was simply looking at Daphne confusedly, and as he was beginning to turn towards her, no doubt looking to her for an explanation, she walked forward towards Daphne.

"Daphne, are you alright?" Hermione asked taking in her weathered appearance. She was always dressed immaculately, robes perfectly pressed, hair tied up just right, and her expression always showing cold indifference. But Hermione knew for a fact that she _needed_ to do those things, it wasn't about vanity for her, her survival in the Slytherin Dorms depended on it, and so far she had always come out on top. Looking at her now, Hermione had to blink several times before she had recognized her.

As she got closer to her she caught a good look at her face, more specifically her eyes, her ruby orbs that were always so cold and dispassionate were shining with grief and hopelessness, though as she got a look at Hermione it was soon replaced by surprise and shock. Hermione lowered down to Daphne's level, and grabbing her shoulders gently stood up, bringing Daphne up with her.

"Dad, could you please open the door?" Hermione said impatiently.

Dan Granger was utterly confused right now. But seeing his daughter's impatient expression, he hurried with the keys and they all entered the house. Hermione led Daphne up to her room, knowing that it would cause unnecessary problems if she didn't and she knew that Daphne would want some privacy. She came down the stairs to see the three inhabitants of the hall looking at her with varying expressions of expectancy on their faces. Hermione faltered; her mind not able to come up with a suitable excuse that would satisfy both her parent's and more importantly Harry's curiosity.

"Um . . . right. That's Daphne, she is . . . I . . . um . . . I actually don't know . . . I'll just go talk to her." Hermione practically ran all the way back to her room.

Hermione's mind contemplated various scenarios that would lead to Daphne coming to her house unannounced, adding in her dishevelled appearance narrowed down the possibilities but increased the threat that she was under. While she was her friend, and Hermione would do everything to help her, she had to think about her family's safety first. Hearing Perenelle talk about the last war had really opened her eyes to what was expected of the two of them, and she wouldn't jeopardize that. It might sound cold and calculating, the traits of the very house that Daphne belonged to, but it was what was on her mind as she knocked once, feeling silly to be knocking on the door to her own room, and opened the door.

(Break)

Harry watched as Hermione came down from her room, tried saying something to explain the situation that they found themselves in, and then promptly left. Harry didn't know what to think, he had recognized Daphne after Hermione had said her name, and he was frankly worried and surprised by her presence here. The only thing that had stopped him from going ballistic and demanding answers right away was the look that he had caught in Daphne's eyes, although Hermione claiming to be her friend had calmed him down somewhat.

He honestly had no idea that Hermione had any other friends that she was close to other than him and . . . no, she wasn't exactly close to Ron. He just figured that Hermione knew her from one of her Clubs or Daphne might be in her Runes or Arithmancy classes. Figuring that she would tell him eventually and felling tired, he turned towards Hermione's parents.

"Harry, do you know what's going on?" Dan asked as Harry turned towards him.

"Erm no sir, all I know is that Daphne is a . . . classmate of ours at Hogwarts." Harry said, pausing as he considered how to aptly describe their acquaintance.

*Harry, I'm hungry* Hedwig's voice that was decidedly losing its childlike quality sounded in his mind.

Harry was startled slightly, but he turned towards Emma with a sheepish expression.

"Mrs. Granger, would you happen to have some grapes? Hedwig's hungry." Saying that Harry shifted his cloak slightly to uncover Hedwig from where she was hidden.

"Um . . . I thought that Hedwig was your owl Harry? She seems to have . . . shrunk." Emma said as she moved closer to Hedwig. She had always liked birds, and whenever Hedwig came by with a letter she would feed her while she waited for Hermione's response.

"Yeah . . . she is my Familiar now. A Phoenix." Harry said happily.

"Ohh . . . Hermione has told me about them. Aren't they supposed to be rare?" Emma asked as she tentatively brought up her hand to pet Hedwig, and at Harry's nod did so. Hedwig trilled her greeting, and Emma felt as if she was at peace, as if nothing was wrong in the world, all her worries forgotten.

Harry chuckled inwardly at Emma's wide-eyed astonished look. Hedwig's song had almost the same effect on him the first time he had heard it.

"Grapes . . . I'll just go and get the grapes." Emma said and left towards where Harry assumed the kitchen was.

Harry sat down on the couch and fed the grapes to Hedwig, and she eventually fell asleep. He brought out his wand and transfigured for her the nest that he and Hermione had made earlier and gently placed her on it. He looked up at Hermione's parents, who were in the other room, across the hallway in the hall, conversing in low tones.

They were more than 15 meters away from him, and yet, he could still hear their conversation, it was a bit cracked, but what he heard grabbed his attention immediately. He concentrated on trying to hear clearly and he heard the whole conversation.

(Break)

"Honey this has gone on too long." Dan exclaimed, making sure to keep his voice down. "You know that the excuse she gave us has to be a lie."

"I know Dan, but what can we do? You know how Hermione feels about her life as a Witch. When she received the letter from Hogwarts, she was so happy. If we do this now . . . I'm not sure what she would decide on." Emma said, her voice a bit cracked with emotion.

"We gave her a chance these last few years, and what happened? First year, attacked in a girl's bathroom, and another stay in the hospital at the end of the year, and we let her lie to us, figuring that she might think that we would pull her out of school if we knew about it. And Second year attacked by a god-damned snake that had her paralysed for over a month. She was 13 for crying out loud . . ." Dan said. He was having some trouble keeping his voice in check.

"Dan, do you think that I don't care about her? She is my daughter too; all I want is for her to be happy. And the Headmaster assured us that she was safe." Emma said a bit harshly. She glanced back at Harry to make sure that he wasn't aware of their discussion. She was relieved to see him playing with Hedwig, seemingly absorbed.

"And I want her to be safe. Her safety takes precedence over her happiness honey, she has her whole life ahead of her, I'm sure that she will be happier if she was done being a witch." Dan said with a tone of finality.

"Dan, would you listen to yourself! I know that you want to protect her from any harm, but . . . give her one more chance. I'll talk to her, if she tells us the truth; you have to promise me that this topic will never be brought up again." Emma said pleadingly.

"I don't like this honey." Dan said.

"I know that Dan, but it's for Hermione's happiness." Emma said.

"Fine. But this will be her last chance Emma." Dan said reluctantly.

Emma wasn't happy about it but nodded her assent. "I'll talk to her tomorrow."

(Break)

Hermione walked into her room and saw that Daphne had changed into one of her night dresses that she had loaned to her, and was sitting at the window to her room, looking out at the night sky. Hermione saw that while she looked a bit better her eyes hadn't changed even a bit. Hermione breathed to organize her thoughts, and went over to her.

"Daphne what's going on?" Hermione asked softly. She didn't receive any response, and she placed her hand on her shoulders, squeezing it slightly.

"Did something happen?" she tried again after some time.

"Remember I told you that I didn't get along well with m parents, and that was further worsened after I showed them my report on my findings about the Pureblood beliefs?" Daphne said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes." Hermione said, rubbing her shoulders, offering her some comfort.

"Well . . ." and Daphne started telling her everything. About the marriage contract, about how her parents almost forced her to sign it, and how she had to take the necessary actions to avoid it.

Daphne's eyes had teared up slightly, and she was trying valiantly not to start crying outright in front of Hermione. She hadn't planned on telling Hermione about her situation in such detail, but she found that once she started talking, words seemed to spill from her mouth of their own violation.

"So now here I am, alone in the world, and for all intents and purposes an orphan. I have destroyed my life Hermione; I don't even know what I am doing here." Daphne choked out.

Hermione was stunned by the tale that she had listened to for the past half an hour, an her brain still couldn't wrap around the fact that, Daphne's parents would do such a thing to their own flesh and blood. As she processed the last statement made by Daphne, her brain started working again.

"You are not alone Daphne, I'll help you out and we can contact the Headmaster, tell him about your situation, I'm sure that he would be more than happy to help." Hermione said.

"Why don't you rest for a while, would you like something to eat or drink?" Hermione asked gently.

Daphne shook her head negatively, and Hermione led her over to the bed, helped her lay down and after asking her again if there was anything she wanted, turned off the lights to her room, and went downstairs to somehow explain the situation to her parents and Harry. Just as she was about to turn towards the kitchen, she almost ran into Harry.

(Break)

As Harry sat there listening in on the Granger's conversation, he couldn't curb the feeling of anxiousness that was rising rapidly in his stomach. As far as he understood it, Hermione's parents were thinking of withdrawing her from Hogwarts, and cutting-off her contact with the Wizarding world altogether! As he heard Hermione's father give her mother a day to find the answers, he got up and started making her way to the stairs, intent on warning Hermione about what he had heard.

He almost ran into Hermione as she was coming down the stairs, and he immediately motioned her to keep quiet and led her up a couple of stairs. He looked around, and spotting that Hermione's parents were nowhere near, asked "Hermione what have you told your parents about our _adventures_ at school?"

"W-What?" Hermione asked, totally set of-balance by Harry's unexpected question.

"I just heard your parents talking Hermione, they were thinking about withdrawing you from Hogwarts if you didn't tell them the truth. They know Hermione. Dumbledore must have informed your parents about them." Harry spoke silently.

"T-That's not p-possible." Hermione stuttered out, her face rapidly turning pale.

"Believe me, they were talking about it just now. They don't appear to be informed of us turning into Vampires, but they definitely know about the Troll and the Basilisk." Harry said, as he again looked around.

"B-But why didn't they say something to me?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know, all I know is that you have to come clean with our parents about what is going on at the school, at least about the Troll and the Basilisk, and they didn't buy our excuse for your changes in appearance, and you have until tomorrow to tell them the truth." Harry said.

"Oh God! What do I do? What do we do?" Hermione asked, her eyes shining with fear and uncertainty.

"You have to tell them Hermione, It's the only way you can continue living as a Witch." Harry said resolutely.

(End Chapter)

A/N:- Thanks for your opinion on my last question, it helped me make my decision. You will come to know of it as you read on . . .

How was the Daphne situation handled? Was it somewhat believable or was it totally bull?

Also on a side note, I will be updating the timeline in the Muggle world to the current times (2011) so if I use any piece of technology in the story that wasn't supposed to be invented in canon time, please don't flame me for it.

Review your thoughts . . . . Please?


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter

**Warnings: **Violence , Gore and Lemons(Much Later)

**Chapter 16**

As Hermione explained the situation that Daphne was in, she looked at the various reactions of the people that were surrounding her.

Her parents were, understandably, quite angry, and had immediately told her that they would allow Daphne to stay here as long as she needed to, but asked Hermione what Daphne would do when they would be leaving for their annual family vacation or Hogwarts for that matter. Hermione had no answer to that question, and they decided that they would discuss it with Daphne later.

Looking at Harry, she was surprised, but at the same time, not. He didn't ask her questions about why she was willing to help her, or why she considered Daphne her friend. His face was set in anger, and was visibly trying to suppress it. She had never felt so proud to call Harry her friend.

After Hermione had finished, silence reigned in the room. Hermione thought back to the conversation that she had with Harry shortly after he had informed her of her parent's decision.

"_But we decided that we wouldn't tell anyone about this, except maybe Sirius and Remus! If we were to tell my parents about this, I'm sure that they would freak out. They wouldn't understand. I haven't even told them about the troll for this very reason!" Hermione exclaimed with and incredulous expression directed at Harry. _

"_You have to come clean about our previous adventures anyway; I think that we can use it to our advantage." Harry suggested calmly, a hesitant look in his eyes. He wasn't sure how Hermione would react to his suggestion; the idea was definitely a bit manipulative in nature._

"_What did you have in mind?" Hermione asked curiously, she had noticed the fleeting look of hesitance in his eyes._

"_Just tell them enough to sate their curiosity, and quell their concerns. Tell them that the Headmaster decided that it would be better for our safety if we were to become Apprentices, in order to help train us better for the situations that we find ourselves in. They didn't buy our story of the Nutrient Potion, but I'm sure that after you tell them about the Apprenticeship, and we stick to our Potion theory, they would accept it." Harry said with a neutral expression on his face. But Hermione could detect slight traces of apprehension on his face, but she only saw it due to her close relationship with him. _

_Hermione pondered over Harry's idea in her head. She was honestly surprised that Harry had thought of that in the short time that had passed. It was something that she would expect from Daphne, not Harry. If they went through with Harry's idea, she could convince her parents with the official document that they had signed to be submitted at the Ministry, though Perenelle had informed them that the significant details would only be known by a single person that Perenelle trusted inside the Ministry, someone named Amelia Bones, who was the Head of the Department of Law Enforcement. And as an added benefit, she and Harry would not have to sneak out of the house every day to get to their training._

_On the downside, while technically not lying, she had always considered the omission of facts as lying. And she didn't want to do that to her parents. Again._

"_I don't know Harry. It might backfire on us, my parents could think that this was the last straw, and withdraw me from Hogwarts." Hermione said worriedly._

_Harry again tried wracking his brains, but could not come up with something more convincing. _

"_I think we should do it. But you have to promise me that you won't try to take the blame on yourself. " Hermione said, bringing Harry out of his thoughts. The only response he gave was nodding at her silently. _

Hermione cast a nervous glance at Harry and after Harry nodded at her and smiled his support, she turned towards her parents with a determined expression. She still had trouble believing that she was actually going through with this. She knew for a fact that such a thought would not even have passed her mind a mere few days ago.

"Mum, dad." Hermione started, gaining her parent's attention.

"Yes dear?" Emma asked gently. She was still quite shocked to hear Daphne's situation, her motherly instincts had kicked in and she had immediately glared at Dan as he had started to open his mouth, no doubt intent on grilling Hermione for more information about it. It was not as if it would make a difference to them. Being doctors, and quite successful ones at that, they had an overabundance of money, but didn't flaunt it. Having two of Hermione's friend living with them would not be a problem. Dan had initially become suspicious when Emma had informed him of Hermione's request, and Emma had to sit down with him and explain that Harry was just Hermione's friend and there was nothing afoot.

"There is something that I would like to tell you." Hermione said, her eyes looking intently at her parents.

Dan and Emma glanced at each other, and then turned their attention towards Hermione.

(Break)

"Why did you lie to us Hermione?" Emma asked after Hermione had finished telling her parents about everything that they had agreed on, ending with the Apprenticeship.

"At the time, I didn't think that you would understand, and would pull me out of school, thinking that you would protect me by doing that." Hermione said.

"Are these types of incidents common in the Wizarding World?" Dan asked a bit curious despite the situation.

"Um, not exactly, no." Hermione replied a bit of nervousness creeping back into her voice.

"So why were you targeted?" Dan asked.

"I guess it was partly our fault and a lot of bad luck, we went to investigate things that we were warned against." Hermione said. She glanced at Harry as she said this, knowing that he would feel that it was his fault somehow.

"So what you told your mother earlier about taking Supplement Potions, was that true?" Dan asked with a stern expression on his face.

"Yes dad, that was completely true. Being Petrified wasn't exactly healthy for me." Hermione said calmly.

"Tell me more about this Mentor of yours, Mrs Perenelle Flamel?" Emma asked, fishing for information, trying to determine if her daughter was lying to them again. She was sure that Hermione wasn't lying, but it didn't hurt to be sure.

"She was Professor Dumbledore's mentor as well. She is very knowledgeable about the Wizarding World and has many Masteries under her belt. She was the one who approached us, this summer." Hermione said calming down slightly; this was something that was relatively safer to talk about.

"She must be . . . uh, very old." Emma said, struggling to not offend Hermione's mentor.

"She is, but her husband is the only known creator of the Philosopher's Stone. She is over 6 centuries old." Hermione said with a smile.

"It just all seems so unbelievable . . ." Dan said.

"So what exactly are you expecting to learn under her mentorship?" Emma asked excitedly.

Hermione smiled at her mother's enthusiasm, and released a silent sigh of relief.

"Well, she gave us a couple of books to read for the week, and after that she will be telling us of any further expectations. Her teachings will really help me with my career options." Hermione said.

Harry was slightly surprised that Hermione had already started to think about what she wanted to do in her life after Hogwarts; she hadn't said anything about that to him.

"What are your thoughts on this Harry?" Emma asked with a smile.

Harry was startled slightly by the unexpected question, and took a while to properly formulate his answer.

"Well, I haven't thought about what I intend to do after Hogwarts, but looking at it on a short term basis, I guess it would help me survive the adventures that I find myself in. On a lighter note, it will definitely help me improve my grades. I think it is time that Hermione finally had a competitor at Hogwarts." Harry said with a cheeky grin directed at Hermione.

"Well, I think that you don't have to worry about your career right now Harry, Hermione probably has her whole life planned out by now." Dan said, laughing heartily at the affronted look on his daughter's face.

After that, Emma told Hermione to show him, the house and the room that he would be staying in, while she prepared dinner.

The Granger's house was a duplex bungalow, with 4 Bedrooms overall and 3 bathrooms. Two of the bedrooms were on the ground floor, while two bedrooms that were occupied by Hermione and her parents were on the first floor. The door of the house opened to the hall where Hermione informed him that the family sat down to watch the telly, and the kitchen was joined to the separate dining room towards the right side of the house. The two guest bedrooms were on the left side. Hermione told him that the first floor consisted of little more than the two bedrooms, and that she would show Harry her room later.

She was apparently saving the best for last, because as she led him to the sliding glass doors, at the end of the hallway consisting of the guest bedrooms, Harry was amazed to see the large garden, fitted with a fountain the middle, and two hammocks. The garden was properly maintained, and had a multitude of flower bushes surrounding the edges, with a fine sheen of green grass, in the middle. It was a truly relaxing place to be in, considering there was a small swimming pool there as well. It wasn't big enough to properly swim in, but it was perfect to laze about in the water on hot summer days. Hermione informed him that it was 15 meters long and 8 meters wide, with a maximum depth of 6 feet.

"You never told me that you had a swimming pool in your backyard. Do you know how to swim?" Harry asked.

"It never came up, besides, it wasn't really relevant. And yes, I know how to swim, I could teach you if you like." Hermione said.

"Maybe if we have time, I don't know how much time we will have to ourselves this summer." Harry said with a distracted wave.

"Come on, I'll show you to your room. I think I will freshen up before dinner, you should too." Hermione said.

The guest bedroom was bigger than what Harry was used to at the Dursleys and the bed was decidedly more comfortable. It was decked in a soft cream colour, and had an attached bath that Hermione informed him, was shared by the other guest bedroom. Other than that there was a standard, dresser, and a cupboard.

"Harry, about Daphne . . ." Hermione started hesitantly as Harry plopped down on the bed, testing it out. He turned his head towards Hermione, and looking at her hesitant expression, smiled slightly.

"It's okay, Hermione. I won't judge you for your friendship with her, and I understand why you felt that you needed to keep it a secret from me. But I have to admit I am a bit curious how you two met." Harry said.

"I didn't mean to keep it a secret from you Harry, but I didn't think that Ron would appreciate my friendship with her." Hermione said with relief in her voice.

"Yeah, I can imagine his reaction." Harry said with a grimace.

"Dinner will be ready in 10 minutes!" came the shout from the kitchen.

"We'll talk after dinner." Hermione said and went out the room.

Harry brought out his wand and un-shrunk his belongings, preferring to keep it in the trunk itself. He got out a few clothes that he thought were not too shabby, and with a few well-placed shrinking charms and a few repairs here and there, he thought that he had acceptable muggle clothing. He laid it out on the bed and entered the shower.

(Break)

Dinner was enjoyable, and Harry got to learn a lot about the Granger's practice and their lives in general. But it was majorly boring for him as Hermione recounted her year spent at Hogwarts, though he was careful to not show his boredom. Still it seemed that Hermione had picked up on it, and she would give him small apologetic smiles occasionally.

After dinner was finished Hermione surprised her parents when she cleaned up the dishes with a quick wave of her wand, and then she spent some time with parents showing them some simple charms that she had learnt at Hogwarts. She told her parents that being an Apprentice; she was exempted from the rule concerning underage magic.

As it was getting late, Emma told both teens to get to bed. The two teens decided that their talk could wait, and both went to their rooms to get some much needed sleep after their tiring day.

(Break)

Harry turned around on his side, praying for sleep to claim him. He had been lying down, and sleep did not come to him. It was as if his body was just too full of energy to fall asleep. He didn't get it at all, he hadn't fed today, but still he was not feeling the thirst. There was something going on with him that was not normal. He almost smacked himself at that thought. Of course there was something unusual about him, after all, he was the bloody Boy-Who-Lived, seemingly cursed to have something wrong with him all the time.

Sighing in frustration for the umpteenth time, he got up and switched on the lights of his room. If he couldn't fall asleep, he figured that he could always read his History Of Magic book, it had never failed in putting him to sleep before. He carefully got out of bed, being mindful of Hedwig's sleeping form and opened his trunk, searching for the History of Magic textbook. As he was searching for that, he caught sight of _Mastering Your Mind by Ryos Grimhill, _the book on Occlumency that Perenelle had given them earlier. Figuring that he might as well read that, and hope that it would help him sleep, he took it back to the bed and lay down comfortably, and began reading

He read through the introduction, slightly surprised that the author wasn't human, and as soon as he started on the actual subject, he was hooked, all vestiges of sleep lost in from his mind. . He discovered an attached note from Perenelle, stating that even though the Dwarves had a different name for Occlumency, she had edited the book to make it easier to understand.

"_Occlumency, the art of Mastering your mind, is an art that has proved necessary for Dwarves and is practiced by them to help them protect their secrets and their lives. The practice was first developed by the Dwarven Clan to protect their homes from a predator that was capable of seemingly plucking thoughts and memories out of the victim's heads. Before the practice was developed, the Dwarves suffered highly under the Predator. . . _

Harry read on as the author described the suffering that the Dwarves had endured, and eventually got to the parts that described the benefits of the practice and the steps involved.

_. . . the Dwarven Mind Mages, as they were called, discovered that the Magic that they had developed had some other benefits than keeping your secrets safe. As the study into the Art grew deeper, the Dwarves found that not everyone was capable of the Magic at advanced levels, contrary to their earlier beliefs. As the Mages progressed further into their research, they discovered that Occlumency provided them with various additional benefits, total memory recall, a mutated form of photographic memory, better concentration, and undivided focus. These were their findings, and some Mages had proved to be more inclined towards one benefits and not the others, while some had equal ability of all benefits . . . _

Harry was left wide-eyed at that bit of information, but grew curious. Hermione had told him that Dumbledore had informed her that most Purebloods were aware of the Art. Reading the description, he couldn't help but wonder if the Occlumency developed by Dwarves was a different form of what the Wizards used today. If he was not overestimating the benefits, he would never need to worry about schoolwork again! He resolved to ask her about that later. He read on . . .

_. . . the first step that precedes mastering Occlumency, is finding and successfully envisioning your Magical Core. This is a generally basic practice that has various other applications, and can be achieved by . . . _

Harry read through the detailed description of the process and immediately sat up on the bed, assuming the meditative position. Finding that the bed wasn't stable enough, he moved to the floor. He closed his eyes, and immediately focused on the feel of his magic, feeling it coursing through him; he concentrated on the reserve that he could feel was the core of his power. He tried hard envisioning it, but every time he focused on it too hard he would lose concentration of the feel of his magic, wasting his effort.

Harry took a few deep breaths and calming himself, tried again, this time he tried not to focus too hard on envisioning his core, but concentrated on it, feeling through his magic for what felt the most natural. He felt a slight shift in his magic, and then the darkness that surrounded his eyes seemed to become absolute. The sight that greeted him was the most awe-inspiring thing that he had seen.

A swirling mass shaped as a sphere of pitch black, with occasional flares of silver that surrounded the core on the outside, resembling a corona. It was humongous, although he had no way to compare it to another Wizard's, he had a feeling that it was considerably larger that an average Wizard's. Estimating it's size, he thought that it was big enough to completely fit inside the Quidditch Pitch at Hogwarts. He curiously brought his hands forward to touch the sphere, and a tingling feeling overcame the region surrounding his torso. He stared at it for a long time, admiring it, memorizing its appearance. He eventually decided that it would help him if he would be able to do it faster, and relaxed his concentration.

He repeated the very same thing five more times, each repetition reducing the time required as well as the concentration required. Figuring that he had that step down, he read on . . .

_. . . After you have successfully found your magical core, you can begin to shape and manipulate it. Imagine your body as a whole and concentrate solely on your mind. You will eventually be able to envision a space that is the centre of your mind . . ._

Harry was slightly confused by what he read. How was one supposed to envision one's mind? Envisioning his core was easy enough; he had felt his magic and concentrated on it. It had a sort of physical feel. But as far as he knew, he was always able to feel his mind, so shouldn't he be able to already . . . _visit_ the place, which was said to be his mind, where he kept his memories, already? Questions arose in his head, but no answers were forthcoming. Even the book didn't provide him with any clues. Thinking that he had done enough for today, he closed the book and placed it on his desk, and lay down, hoping to sleep. He visited his core again, twice before sleep finally claimed him.

(End Chapter)

A/N:- Thank You for the reviews that you sent. Just because I don't seem to reply to your reviews doesn't mean that I don't read them.

I have attempted to change their behaviour a bit in this chapter. I would like it if you would comment on that . . .


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter

**Warnings: **Violence , Gore and Lemons(Much Later)

**Chapter 17**

Harry woke up instantly as he heard a tapping on the window to the guest bedroom that he was in. he blinked blearily, and opened his eyes and looked towards where the tapping was coming from. He got out of bed, careful not to shake Hedwig's nest that was lying beside him, he walked up to the window and the owl flew in, a letter tied to its leg. Harry looked out the window noticing that the sun was barely above the horizon.

Harry walked over to the owl, and gently untied the letter from its leg, wondering who could be writing to him so early. As soon as he had successfully untied the letter, the owl gave a hoot and flew away. Harry opened the letter, and noticed the immaculate writing.

_Dear Harry,_

_Enclosed you will find an earring for Hermione, and a Wristwatch for you Harry. These are enchanted Portkeys keyed to bring you and Hermione to the Department and back to wherever you Portkeyed from, provided the area is not warded, you will need to get out of the range of the wards if you are staying in a warded area. It is a difficult piece of Magic, I would advise you not to lose it. You have the coming week off, Hermione may use it to come here every night between 12-2 am, I will be available during that time. Although I have given you the week off, I still expect you to read the book on Occlumency that I gave you. Also I have detailed an exercise regimen for the both of you, be sure to follow it. You will need it. If you need to use the training facilities at the Department, feel free to drop by anytime, but don't wander into the Ministry. _

_Perenelle Flamel. _

_P.S. The Portkey activation Keyword is 'Home to the Chamber'_

There was another note attached to the letter, detailing the exercises that Perenelle had written down for him. Harry's eyes bugged out as he read the routine that she expected him and Hermione to follow. It was impossible. Being in the Quidditch team, he was not unused to performing exercises, but what she expected from him was ridiculous. He looked at the watch that she had sent him. It was a standard watch, nothing fancy.

Deciding to think about it later, he freshened up, and went in search of some food.

He was surprised to see Hermione already in the kitchen, cooking a small breakfast; he hadn't expected anyone else to be up so early on a Sunday. He tried to not notice the clothes that she was wearing, but it was a bit difficult for him. Apparently Hermione dressed for bed in a small snug T-shirt and pyjama pants.

"Morning, Hermione." Harry greeted.

"Good Morning Harry, you're up early." Hermione answered as she flipped the pancake on the pan.

"You cook?" Harry asked surprised. He was learning things about Hermione that he didn't even know before. Thinking about it, he shouldn't be surprised, even though they were best friends, he didn't expect to know every little detail of her life. Though he was surprised by her friendship with Daphne, and he honestly wasn't angry about it.

After all, he had his secrets as well.

"Only pancakes and scrambled eggs. It's not much, but I get by. You want some?" Hermione said.

"Maybe later, I am not fully awake yet." Harry shrugged. He took out the letter from Perenelle that he had stashed in his pocket. "The Professor sent us this this morning." Harry said as he placed the letter as well as the earrings on the kitchen shelf. Hermione turned the stove off, and read the letter.

"Well, it seems that we have the week off, is there anything you want to do?" Hermione asked.

"Not really, but I have to get a completely new set of wardrobe. I'm tired of wearing Dudley's clothes. I think it was time that I used some of the money that belongs to me now." Harry said.

"Yeah, I need to get some new clothes as well. I had to fix some of my old clothes with magic to even have something to wear." Hermione said with an excited gleam in her eyes. Harry shuddered, he had heard many tales associated with women and shopping. He just hoped Hermione wasn't as bad as Lavender and Parvati.

"You never told me how your day at Gringotts went? I just know that you were emancipated. Anything interesting happen?" Hermione asked.

"Well, for starters, I found out that the Potter Family is rich. Very rich. The Professor helped me convince the Goblins to reconstruct Potter Manor, I got my wand fixed, but most importantly, I found three trunks inside the Potter Vault that belonged to my Parents and me." Harry said softly.

"Harry that's wonderful, did you see what was inside the trunks?" Hermione asked.

"I . . . couldn't." Harry said, his voice barely a whisper.

Hermione cast a sad glance in Harry's direction, but didn't say anything. She knew that he wouldn't appreciate it if she tried to comfort him, he would think that she was pitying him.

Hermione placed the breakfast she had prepared and a carton of juice on a tray. Harry assumed that she would be sharing her breakfast with Daphne.

"How is Daphne?" Harry asked. He was searching for a change of topic.

"I don't know Harry, I checked on her this morning, I don't think she slept at all last night." Hermione sighed sadly.

"How did you meet her anyway?" Harry asked.

"We met in our first year. We were both in the Transfiguration and Potions Club. I don't exactly know when she became my friend, but we eventually began sitting together in the Clubs, and sharing our workload. She is a very bright person, and despite being a Pureblood, she isn't a bigot." Hermione said.

"I don't think that she has many friends at Hogwarts. I was aware that she had some problems with her family, mainly started midway during Second year, but I never imagined it would be this bad. Honestly, who uses an Unforgiveable on their own daughter?" Hermione finished angrily.

Harry nodded silently. Truthfully he hadn't noticed Daphne much at Hogwarts. At the very least she didn't hang around with Malfoy and his cronies. That was always a plus in Harry's opinion.

"Anyway, Daphne will probably go to sleep after breakfast, I put in a few sleeping pills in the juice. She won't wake up until later tonight." Hermione said.

"That bad?" Harry asked. Harry figured that Sleeping pills were much like the Dreamless Sleep Potion, and the circumstances that he had taken it under, were somewhat extreme.

"She banished herself from her family Harry, and while I don't think she made the decision impulsively, it has to be hard on her. On top of that, she is worried about her little sister. Some sleep will do her good." Hermione said sadly.

"Little sister?" Harry enquired.

"Astoria, she is supposed to be starting Hogwarts this year." Hermione said.

"What is she planning to do now? Will she be continuing at Hogwarts? Does she have the funds?" Harry asked.

"I helped her in writing to Professor Dumbledore, she has good enough grades to easily apply for the Scholarship for orphans. And she told me that she had some Galleons on her, but I don't think she has enough to get by. She didn't want to stay here, saying that she would just borrow some money, and planned to take a room at the Leaky Cauldron. But my mother talked her out of it. It is a lucky coincidence that the relatives that my family were supposed to be visiting had other engagements. Otherwise, I don't know where she would have spent her summer, with us gone." Hermione said.

She took out her wand and levitated the tray in front of her. "I'll be down in an hour at the most, why don't you freshen up and start on the list of clothes that you need to buy, I think we should get done with our shopping today."

"Sure." Harry replied. He honestly had no idea what he was supposed to write down on the list, but it couldn't be that hard right?

(Break)

Harry trudged wearily back into the Granger's house that evening after completing his shopping spree, vowing to not step inside another clothing store anytime soon. He had no idea that such a trifle thing such as shopping could be so tiring. He was grateful for the presence of Hermione's dad; he knew that if he wasn't present he would still be roaming around the mall cluelessly. Although, it was funny to see his expression when he had told him that he had some 50 thousand pounds to spend.

Hermione had bought some clothes for Daphne to wear as well. When Harry had innocently asked how she knew her size, Hermione had replied embarrassedly that she had asked one of the clerks at Madam Malkin's for the spell that they used.

Hermione went up to check on Daphne as soon as she got back, and on finding her sleeping, took the note that she had left for her in case she woke up while they were gone, and came back down.

Daphne came down for dinner, but she hardly ate anything, staring at her plate the whole time. Halfway through she had excused herself, and went back up to Hermione's room. Hermione looked sad seeing her friend this way, but Harry knew that Daphne would take some time to get back up on her feet. Harry hadn't talked to her much, but introduced himself with a smile on his face, making sure that he didn't have any bad feelings towards her. He couldn't be sure, but he thought, he had seen a brief look of surprise and a bit of relief on her face.

After dinner, Harry and Hermione sat down with her parents to watch some television, and as midnight neared, Hermione's parents bid the two teens a good night. Harry and Hermione who didn't feel sleepy at all decided to get some work done on their Occlumency. They discussed the problems that they were having, and Harry told her of the doubts that he was having. The two of them brainstormed a bit on the ideas that they had, and planned the questions that they would ask Perenelle when they visited her this night.

(Break)

Harry heaved himself up to his feet as the Portkey that Perenelle had given them deposited the duo on the cold stone floor of the Entrance Chamber. Harry again grumbled under his breath, cursing the existence of Portkeys, as he thought of the 'Office' and proceeded to enter the door that opened up.

Perenelle was sitting at her desk reading through some files. Harry approached the table and sat down on the chair.

"Good morning Harry, Hermione. How are you today?" Perenelle asked, amusement dancing in her eyes.

"Quite well." Hermione answered.

"So Hermione, ready?" Perenelle asked. At Hermione's hesitant nod, Perenelle motioned Hermione closer and didn't flinch at all as she cut her wrist with her fingernail. Harry had never been able to see either his own, or Hermione's expression for that matter, when they drank blood. All that he knew was that it felt _nice_. Seeing Hermione's expression, he thought that he might just be right.

Hermione on the other hand, was a bit disappointed. Perenelle's blood tasted nowhere near as good as Harry's. But she sucked it up nevertheless. She was actually looking forward to returning home and having Harry drink from her.

After Hermione finished, she thanked Perenelle and sat down in the chair beside Harry.

"Professor, I had a question on something that I read in the book." Harry started.

"Yes, what is it? And how far have you progressed?" Perenelle asked. She didn't expect him to do much, if the grades at school, and Albus's description were to be believed.

"I am having some trouble with envisioning my mind, but I can do everything before that easily." Harry replied. Perenelle was mildly surprised on hearing that, but was pleased that he had taken the initiative himself, if this trend were to continue, it would make her job much easier.

"And what about you Hermione?" Perenelle asked.

"I am having the same problem as Harry." Hermione said. This was something that didn't surprise Perenelle.

"It is quite a tricky phase to learning Occlumency, but I am afraid that you will have to overcome this on your own. Everyone has different ways of doing it, I can guide you and tell you some things but you will have to do this on your own." Perenelle said.

"Professor, the book mentioned some benefits to learning Occlumency. If I am not over-estimating these benefits, how is it that people, purebloods to be specific, have so much trouble doing their schoolwork?" Harry asked.

"You question has a simple answer Harry, no one is aware of this form of Occlumency. As far as the Wizarding World is concerned, they never knew of this type of Occlumency. And you have to make sure that it stays that way. This form of Occlumency is a powerful tool that can be quite devastating in the right or as the case may be, wrong, hands. I would like to make this clear before you start on your training, whatever I teach you, can never be taught to others. There are secrets to magic that was best kept from the general populace, and I happen to know quite a few of them." Perenelle said sternly, a serious expression on her face.

Harry knew what Perenelle was saying was right, and agreed with her. Hermione however, who had always been an advocate of sharing knowledge, found her statement a tough pill to swallow.

"But what if the information that you are withholding from the Wizarding World could save someone's life or make a person's life easier?" Hermione asked, she was a bit upset.

"Believe me Hermione, apart from a few, the techniques that I am referring to have no shred of Healing Magic in them, and the ones that do have them, can't be performed by an ordinary wizard. While I do believe in the sharing of knowledge, I like to control the knowledge shared. Most Law Enforcement agencies are the same. If the Aurors began to advertise their training, what purpose would they serve? Certain types of Magic, if not practiced under controlled circumstances, can be hazardous. If civilians were to try and perform them, they would hurt themselves, sometimes mortally. And Death Eaters would be able to pick apart the Aurors; there would be no one to stand up against them." Perenelle finished strongly. She didn't yell or raise her voice, but Hermione felt that she was being punished somehow.

"I-I didn't think of it that way." Hermione said meekly.

"You are a teenager Hermione; most adult Wizards spend lifetimes before they come to this conclusion. You will realize this fact yourself once you begin training, if you still have doubts then, I would love to hear your arguments, who knows, you might be able to look at things differently than I do, and I might have to reconsider my thoughts." Perenelle said gently.

Hermione brightened up at that slightly.

"So, do you have any other questions?" Perenelle asked.

"The exercise regimen that you gave us, where are we supposed to perform them?" Harry asked.

"Well, you can do them here, or at any park that is near Hermione's house. Is there such a place nearby Hermione?" Perenelle asked looking at Hermione.

Hermione thought about it for a while, then shook her head. They had a park nearby her house, but it wasn't exactly the sort of place that you could work out in.

"Well, you can always Portkey over here every morning, and then go back the same way. The Training room is a very good place for your exercises." Perenelle said.

Hermione glanced at Harry, wondering what they were going to tell her parents. She didn't want to alarm them.

Harry was confused by Perenelle's statement. Sure, the training room was big, but it wasn't exactly an ideal place for running. He was not going to run around the room in circles, that would get boring soon. Perenelle picked up on Harry's expression, and correctly interpreting his thoughts said, "As you might recall, I told you that the room is a very special room, and very versatile in its uses. It is modeled after a wondrous room at Hogwarts, the Room of Requirement or the Come and Go room, it has many names. I along with the previous Order tried recreating the room, and we were partially successful. The room that we have created, will be able to transform itself into whatever the user wishes it to become, but apart from any Organic substances anything can be created, the only limit will be your imagination." Perenelle said, with a slight hint of pride in her voice.

Harry and Hermione had awed looks on their faces, each thinking about the possibilities.

Harry and Hermione thanked Perenelle, and Portkeyed home. Harry fed from Hermione, leaving her quite satisfied and frustrated at the same time; and the two teens decided to retire to their rooms for the night. Harry visited his core again, trying to find a way to proceed to the next step of Occlumency, he thought that he made some progress but couldn't be sure.

(End Chapter)

A/N:- First of all I would like to extend my sincere apology to all readers concerning my last note. Reading it from your point of view, I realized that it was extremely rude. Sorry. I edited the note, thus the reason for multiple posts.

I have another question for you, Would you like to Include Luna and Fleur in the pairings as well? (All of the girls will be turned into Vampires, while retaining their magic, though Fleur's situation will be a bit different)

1)Yes

2)No (Luna will then be paired with Neville, but they won't have a major role in the story.)

Though I have to warn you that the romance will be a little slow to develop.


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter

**Warnings: **Violence , and Mature Themes.

**Chapter 18**

Daphne woke up sluggishly; she looked at the clock on the bedside table, and was amazed to see that it was 9 o'clock in the morning. She had apparently slept throughout the whole day, and the sudden need to visit the toilet was a testament to that. After taking care of the most pressing concerns, she fixed herself up a bit, and went downstairs in search of food.

She entered the hall and looking into the kitchen, she saw that Hermione's mom was in the kitchen cooking something up. She was truly grateful to Hermione's parents for all the help that they had provided. But she knew that she couldn't stay here. Now that she had banished herself from the family, her parents wouldn't hesitate to take drastic measures to ensure that the blemish that she represented on the Greengrass family, would be dealt with properly. Her continued stay here would put the Grangers in danger and she couldn't have that on her conscience. She had argued with Hermione, stating that she needed to leave but hadn't stated her reasons for it. She knew that if she told Hermione, she wouldn't leave her out of her sight even for a bit. She was truly glad for her friendship, but Hermione needed to understand that she was doing this for her own good.

Harry Potter's presence had complicated matters as well. If she stayed here, and if someone was to come and . . . _harm_ her, they would undoubtedly notice Potter's presence, and then every person who held a grudge, everyone who wanted to meet him, would begin swarming the place. His location had always been kept a secret, much to the public's displeasure, but she understood the need for it. Half the girls in Wizarding Britain had a crush on him, and Daphne would sooner die that admit to being one of them at one point. Seeing Harry at Hogwarts and hearing to Hermione talk about him, had been effective in making her see that the Harry Potter that was portrayed in the books, and other Teenage Magazines, was nothing like the real person. Daphne was definitely glad that she had grown out of that phase. He was just an ordinary wizard, albeit not that ordinary, like the rest of them.

"Good morning Daphne. Breakfast?" Emma asked smiling pleasantly in her direction.

Daphne managed a weak smile, and nodded her head. As Emma put together her plate, Daphne pondered over another thing that was bothering her. Hermione's and especially, Harry's, physical changes. She had asked Hermione about that the first night that they had arrived here, and Hermione had looked flustered for a short while and responded with, " _You are my friend Daphne, and I won't attempt to make lame excuses, but I am not comfortable answering that question_. _Don't try and ask Harry about it either_." She had been quite firm as well. She had told her what she had told her parents, and asked her to tell them the same if they were to ask her about it. Daphne was curious, but relented.

"Daphne, a letter arrived for you this morning." Emma said, as she placed the letter on the table in front of her.

"Thank you." Daphne managed through the feeling of nervousness that had settled in her stomach. She immediately noticed the green ink that the Headmaster preferred. Suddenly, she wasn't so hungry anymore, her mind thinking through the worst outcomes if her plea to the Headmaster for a scholarship was rejected.

Her hands were shaking imperceptibly, as she opened the envelope.

_Miss Daphne,_

_First of all, I would like to express my condolences for the events that have transpired. If you would like any help, or just like to talk with me, my office doors are always open for you._

_I am happy to inform you that your application for the Scholarship has been approved by me, and the Hogwarts Board of Governors by extension. Let me be the first one to congratulate you on this. As you might have guessed, there were some objections by some of the members, but you were highly recommended by the rest of the staff, and me as well. You are a bright student, and it would be a shame to allow circumstances to hinder your education._

_If you have any other problems, I would again urge you to talk with me, or send a letter if it is what feel comfortable doing. Miss Granger is a very valuable friend, I would advise you to talk to her, and stay with her for the summers._

_Sincerely,_

_Albus Dumbledore._

A feeling of relief coursed through Daphne, as she wondered how the Headmaster knew that she was staying with Hermione. She was accepted at Hogwarts, she wasn't going to have to worry about protecting herself from her parents for the rest of her life, and the most important, she would be seeing Astoria again! She was feeling better than she had felt in days. She truly loved her sister, and was missing her immensely. This took a huge load off her shoulders, and she truly smiled for the first time in days.

"Good news dear?" Emma asked noticing Daphne's expression. Emma was as worried about Daphne's situation as Hermione was, and looking at Daphne's smile, it looked like things were finally looking up for her.

Daphne smiled and said, "Yes, Professor Dumbledore accepted my application for the scholarship, I will be able to continue at Hogwarts." She wasn't normally so chatty, but if asked later she would blame it on the emotional roller coaster that she was on.

"That's wonderful, Hermione would be happy to hear that, she was very worried about losing her friend at school." Emma said.

Daphne nodded and asked, "Where's Hermione, is she still asleep?" She didn't think that Hermione would be sleeping in, she had always been an early riser, but maybe she like to sleep in at home, Daphne thought with a shrug.

"No, she and Harry left early this morning to go do some exercise. I never thought Hermione was into exercising before, do you know if she did them at Hogwarts?" Emma asked with a confused expression on her face.

Daphne shook her head, adopting a confused expression on her face, all the while chuckling inwardly. She had a fairly good idea why Hermione might have felt the sudden need to exercise. Hermione had admitted to having a major crush on Harry, and Daphne figured that Harry being on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team might be the one who wanted to exercise, and Hermione might have tagged along to spend some more time with him.

"Oh well. It has almost been 3 hours since they left, they should be coming back soon. I and Dan have to leave for our work in a few minutes; do you want me to wait until they get home?" Emma asked. She and Dan had originally taken the week off to spend some more time with Hermione, but they were getting bored sitting around the house the whole day, as Hermione spent her time with her friends. They didn't begrudge her for it though, they were just happy to see that Hermione was finally making some friends that she was comfortable with.

"No, I will be fine." Daphne said, smiling at the concerned tone in Emma's voice. It felt . . . _nice_ to have someone genuinely care for her.

Daphne was sitting around in the hall, waiting for Harry and Hermione to come back, pondering the Headmaster's advice to stay at Hermione's house for the rest of the summer. Dumbledore was a very wise Wizard, and nothing seemed to escape his notice, as evidenced by his knowledge of her whereabouts. Even though he might have known about the repercussions of her actions, he had still advised her to stay with Hermione.

She was brought out of her thoughts as she saw the front door open, and the utterly exhausted forms of Harry and Hermione stumbled inside the house.

(Break)

Harry waited for Hermione as she went upstairs to her parent's bedroom to inform them that they were leaving the house for a few hours to go exercising. the two of them were dressed in similar tracksuits, and both were wearing sneakers, Harry had chosen a black tracksuit for himself and Hermione had chosen blue.

They walked a few blocks away from Hermione's house and finding a secluded spot that would ensure that they would not surprise someone with their sudden appearance when they Portkeyed back there, they active their Portkeys and were greeted by Perenelle. Judging by her apparel, she intended to join in on their exercises as well.

"Good morning, excited to begin training?" Perenelle asked brightly. Harry and Hermione found her chipper mood entirely too disconcerting. Sometimes they had a hard time believing that she was centuries old, and her youthful appearance didn't help matters. They nodded their heads wearily.

"Now Harry, I believe that you have done this type of exercises before?" Perenelle asked.

Harry nodded his head. "Yes, the Quidditch team does some exercises, but the regimen that you gave us, is a bit . . . much."

"This is just the beginning Harry, being Vampires you are capable of much more than that. You just need to train. Thee regimen that I have outlined for you is the basic regimen that Aurors follow. You need to be better than that." Perenelle said.

The door to the left of their position opened, and Perenelle led them in. Once in the room, Perenelle told the tens to close their eyes, saying that the changes that the room would go through would be slightly disconcerting visually.

They closed their eyes, and opened them to see their new training ground. It was a beautiful sight, it was the Black Lake at Hogwarts, only difference being that there was no forest on one side of the lake. Everything else, was exactly the same, the lush green grass, the distant snowcapped mountains. Harry spied a running track that was laid around the circumference of the lake. And if Harry wasn't imagining things, it was as if it had gotten a bit hotter inside the room. He loosened the tracksuit a bit, having a little difficulty breathing.

"I think this would be ideal. Any objections?" Perenelle asked with an accomplished expression on her face.

The two teens shook their heads negatively. "I have adjusted the environmental conditions to gain the maximum benefits, the room is a bit humid, the temperature is a little higher, and the Oxygen content has been adjusted to emulate the levels of the top of a mountain." Perenelle stated.

The two teens stared slack jawed at her statement, wishing that they hadn't decided to train here. They were feeling hopeless, and they hadn't even begun!

Perenelle led them through some stretches, and with a statement of "Try and keep up." was off running around the lake.

Harry and Hermione ran for a little under an hour, and by the end of it, Hermione went and sat down on the grass unable to continue any longer. Harry paced Perenelle for a few more rounds around the lake, and then sat down as well.

After they were finished running, Perenelle showed them some basic exercises comprising of sit ups, crunches, and push-ups. By the end of it, Harry and Hermione were feeling as if every muscle in their body was on fire, they rested up for some time before taking their leave and Portkeyed back to Hermione's house, silently grumbling about 'Sadistic teachers'.

(Break)

Harry and Hermione stumbled into the house, Hermione slightly leaning on Harry. Their body was violently protesting every movement that they made, but both of them were amazed that they had lasted for almost two and a half hours of rigorous training, they were definitely sure that they wouldn't even last a measly half an hour before their transformation. Both of them knew that the training would be rough in the beginning and their bodies would take some time to get used to it, it was that thought that kept them going.

They plopped down on the floor, not wanting to ruin the furnishing by sitting in it with their sweat soaked clothes.

"What happened to you guys?" Daphne asked as she moved towards the two of them. It was the first time that she was the one that had initiated a conversation.

"We . . . were . . . exercising." Harry mumbled tiredly, Hermione raised her hand tiredly in greeting, she seemed to be ready to pass out and Harry kept on poking Hermione to keep her awake. Eventually he decided that it was a lost cause, and feeling quite tired himself, he took out his wand and performed a quick series of Cleaning Charms on them. It wasn't as good as a bath, but it would have to do for now.

Daphne was slightly amused at their antics, and smiled. She remembered the letter that she had received, and her smile widened.

"Professor Dumbledore wrote back, I got the Scholarship." Daphne said.

"That's . . . great." Hermione said wincing slightly as she tried getting up.

"Are you really alright?" Daphne asked, slightly concerned. Seeing Hermione like this was slightly surprising.

"Yeah, I will be once I take a bath. Could you help me upstairs?" Hermione asked.

Daphne nodded, and helped Hermione upstairs. Harry got himself up, and went into the bathroom adjoining his room and took a long relaxing bath with Hedwig trilling in joy and laughter as he scrubbed clean her soft feathers.

(End Chapter)


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter

**Warnings: **Violence , and Mature Themes.

**Chapter 19**

Harry panted slightly as he concentrated on keeping the Levitation Spell from failing. Who would have thought that a spell that one of the first spells that he had learnt and mastered would be giving him trouble now. Although, granted, that he had never tried lifting a few tons; give or take, of solid metal before. Perenelle had started them on Magical exercises after they were done with their morning workout.

According to her, this particular exercise would help them in getting used to channel more of his magic, safely, into his spells. Harry had been skeptical at first, but he couldn't deny the results after a scant few days of doing this. At first, he had been barely been able to lift up the block, no matter how hard he glared at it, but now, he had kept the block off the ground for 18 minutes and was still going.

He glanced at Hermione, who had her face set in a determined scowl, as her block wobbled slightly as it hovered a few inches off the ground. Harry had realized that he was exceptionally gifted with power, but didn't feel that it mattered much. He had seen his mentor perform the task that they were struggling with almost lazily, and was determined to re-create the same.

As he saw Hermione release a huge breath and set down the block she was levitating, he decided that he would pick up where he left off after taking a break. He set the block down with barely a sound, a testament to the increased control he had over his spell casting; and walked over to Hermione.

"Any improvement?" Harry asked as he picked up two water bottles and handed one to Hermione, silently thanking their Training room's versatility. She accepted it with a whispered 'Thanks' and replied, "Not as much as I would like, but enough. Nowhere near yours though." Hermione smiled after saying that, making sure that Harry realized that there were no hard feelings.

Harry shrugged in response, and thought about the week that had went by. Harry had noticed a marked increase in his fitness, a direct result of the rigorous workout that he did every morning. Apart from that Perenelle had just been training them in exercises similar to the one he was doing now. A supplementary, that she deemed as a necessary prerequisite for the members of the Order. Though Harry was frustrated by the lack of new spells that he thought that he would be learning, he knew better than to grumble about it.

Hedwig had grown a lot over the past week and it could safely be said that she had all the markings of a truly magnificent and beautiful Familiar, even for a Phoenix. Hermione with a little input from Daphne from time to time had started teaching Harry about the basics in Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, and Harry found that while Arithmancy was a tad difficult, he was a natural with Runes; able to understand and co-relate various simple Runes and draw them without much difficulty. Hermione was both pleased and slightly envious of Harry's apparent ability in Runes. But while Hermione had progressed onto the next step to their Occlumency practice; having successfully envisioned her storage of memories, Harry was still having trouble with it.

He had tried every trick that his admittedly resourceful mind could think up, he had even asked Perenelle for help, but her answer had remained the same. He would have to find the method to do that on his own. It frustrated Harry to no end, but he realized that he would not be served everything on a silver platter.

July had just started, and Harry had received an unexpected but not unwelcome owl from a friend that he had made while in his Second Year. Nymphadora Tonks was a Sixth year during Harry's Second Year, a member of the Ravenclaw House and an aspiring Auror candidate. Harry had been visiting Hermione in the Hospital Wing, and while leaving had literally crashed into her. Thus began an odd friendship between the two of them. As far as he knew, she hadn't told anyone of their friendship and he had done much the same. There was no reason for it, other than the simple reason that it didn't come up in normal everyday conversation.

She would sometimes help him when he was struggling with something in the library, and Harry was thankful for that. As far as he could tell, she wasn't hung over the fact that he was the Boy-Who-Lived, and just was being nice. Harry wouldn't ever be able to tell her how much that meant to him, especially with his best friend and confidant hospitalized.

She had stated in her letter that she had been accepted in to the Auror program by the ministry, and her whole letter had pretty much repeated the same after a few lines. Harry had smiled, remembering that was just the way she was. She had also stated in her letter that she would be pretty busy with her training, but would love to catch up sometime. Harry had congratulated her for achieving her dream, and had promised to meet her.

(Break)

Harry and Hermione took the Portkey back to the relatively empty alleyway near the house that they were using to go back and forth to their training and home. Hermione's parents were long gone to their practice by the time they returned and Daphne had found a temporary job at Madam Malkin's, stating that even though she didn't need the money immediately for her Hogwarts education owing to the Scholarship, she would still have some spending money for personal stuff. Harry knew better than to offer her a loan, knowing that she would not appreciate the gesture.

The two teens utilized the time that they had together by studying and relaxing their tired bodies. Harry was determined that he would find his representation of his memories today. It had been bothering him for too long, and it was hindering his training.

The two teens then spent the afternoon relaxing and then Hermione spent a few hours tutoring Harry in Arithmancy.

(Break)

Hermione bit her lip nervously as she paused before knocking on Harry's door. The . . . anticipation that she felt towards the upcoming was not something that she felt that she should feel. The . . . pleasure that she felt every time Harry partook of her blood was something that she was looking forward to more and more as time went by, it was as if she were becoming addicted to it, and that was exactly what was eating at her. It was becoming increasingly difficult for her to just shut down her mind and kiss him stupid after he had taken her blood. Harry was one of the only boys that she felt completely comfortable around, and she couldn't bear to lose his friendship, if things didn't work out between the two of them. This fact was the only thing that was stopping her from confessing her feelings to Harry.

There was also the fact that Harry hadn't reached his maturity, and thus the sacred bonds of magic that sometimes form between two chosen people, hadn't blossomed. She had decided that she would wait until his birthday at the latest, before she would begin actively pursuing him, romantically.

Squaring her shoulders, she knocked on the door, and discovered that harry had left it open. Peering into the room curiously, she discovered that Harry was sitting on the carpet, eyes closed. She immediately recognized the seating arrangement that he was in, having seen it this past week. Harry always sat in this position whenever he was practicing his Occlumency.

"Turning in for the night?" Harry asked as he opened his eyes. Hermione had to try her hardest not to stare too obviously at his eyes that were now slowly losing their glow.

"Yeah. I was a little tired from today's training, and we have to get up early tomorrow as well." Hermione replied. She honestly didn't mind the training that much, but she could honestly say that she would prefer a little more of Magical training than they were getting.

"Did you find a way to access your memories yet?" Hermione asked, softly scratching Hedwig as she alighted down beside her.

"No." Harry sighed. "I just feel as if there is something that is blocking me. I am almost sure . . ." Harry trailed off with a thoughtful expression on his face. Hermione watched as he again closed his eyes, only to open them a few minutes later, a frustrated expression on his face.

"Maybe I'll turn in too. I will just get frustrated, and that doesn't help in calming myself down at all." Harry said. Hedwig trilled softly, realizing the agitated state that Harry was working himself into. It calmed Harry down considerably.

Harry looked at Hermione and as he approached closer to her, she felt her heart beating faster, she shivered at the pure dominance that shone in his eyes, right before he softly plunged his fangs in her neck. She wondered if Harry was even aware of this, but her pondering was agreeably interrupted and she let herself fully enjoy the pleasure that she felt. She wasn't aware of her hands that were bringing the two of them closer, but as Harry finished and tried stepping away, she held on, not yet ready to give up on her orgasm yet.

Harry on the other hand, was having a hard time being a gentleman, and not let himself go. The close proximity with Hermione, her labored breathing, the feeling of her breasts on his chest, and the half-lidded state of her eyes were having an effect on him, and he was worried about offending her. He tried stepping away again, but when that proved unsuccessful, he settled for backing away his hips a bit.

Hermione blushed beet red as she brought her head up from where she had leaned it against his shoulders, and looked up to see Harry looking down at her with a slightly guilty expression on his face. But the main emotion that swirled in his eyes was one of longing. Her blush increased as she correctly deciphered the thoughts that were going through his head. She simply waited for him to make the next move, but didn't let her disappointment show as he gently got out of her embrace.

"Erm . . . so, I'd better get to sleep." Harry said. He was still conflicted by his new feelings, and didn't know what to think about them.

"Yeah. Good night, Harry." Hermione replied softly.

Harry almost winced at the tone of her voice, sure that she must have been offended. Surprisingly he didn't feel the need to apologize at all.

(Break)

Harry was having trouble sleeping . . . again. After his transformation, whatever small amount of time that he managed to sleep was welcomed by him wholeheartedly. Knowing that he didn't need sleep didn't matter to him. Silently, he got up careful now to awaken Hedwig, who was sleeping soundly on the perch that was similar to the one that Fawkes had.

Harry got some water from the kitchen, and began doing the thing that wasn't letting him sleep. He had found a place that he was pretty sure his memories were present at, but the thing was, something was blocking his acess to it. Harry had tried everything, he had tried going over it, under, will it to nothingness, hell he had even tried knocking, feeling quite stupid after he had done that. But during one of his more . . . forceful attempts, he had noticed that the wall had fizzled slightly as it came into contact with his magic.

So Harry once again, found his core, the huge black mass of Magical Energy pulsing in tune with his heartbeat. Harry then concentrated on channeling his magic thorough him, and envisioned the place that he suspected his memories to be. The huge white dome stood imposingly in front of him. Harry took a few calming breaths, and then opened his glowing green eyes. He walked up to the wall confidently, and placing his hand on it, channeled his magic to the wall. The area of wall surrounding his hand seemed to flicker and Harry smirked triumphantly. But it soon wore off, as the wall didn't shift or crumble or disintegrate or whatever he expected it to do. Harry scowled, and calling forth a huge portion of his magic, poured it into his hands.

(Break)

Harry opened his eyes, and took in his surroundings. To put it simply, he was in a white . . . space. There were no walls, no doors, hell there wasn't even a distinguishable floor. Panicking slightly, he tried to concentrate on his body, in order to break his meditation.

"That will not work for you Harry . . ." said a voice that sounded much like his own. Harry turned around, and his eyes opened wide as he recognized the face of the person that had spoken.

"That's impossible . . . .Dad?"

(Chapter End)

A/N:- I know that it has been a long time . . . and I apologize for that. The chapter might be a little . . . off, atleast I felt iit was. But this was the best I could come up with, and I will take some time to get back in flow.

Comments?


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter

**Warnings: **Violence , and Mature Themes.

**Chapter 20**

Three sets of eyes snapped open almost simultaneously, as each felt a great wave of magic wash _through_ them. Daphne had been sleeping somewhat contentedly after dinner, and was jolted awake at the feeling of powerful magic permeating the air. Correctly deducing the source of the magic, she got out of bed and after making sure that she was presentable and armed, crept downstairs towards Harry's bedroom. He might not be as good a friend as Hermione, but he was getting closer every day.

As she got closer, she saw that the door to Harry's room was flung open, with a soft blackish glow permeating the room. Increasing her pace, she went closer, and peeked into the room, making sure that there was no immediate threat. She didn't trust her family to _not_ do anything after all. Breathing a silent sigh of relief, as she recognized the form of Hermione and Hedwig, crouched around the sitting form of Harry. Magic was practically pouring out of him at a steady rate. Daphne couldn't help but be amazed that the usually silent but quite smart boy, was so powerful, and despite being that was quite humble about it. But she could see that that was something relatively new for him, she had deciphered that from the subtle changes in Hermione's reaction when she talked about him. Daphne was well aware of the crush that Hermione had on him, but lately whenever they were lounging together, the way she talked about Harry had . . .changed. she couldn't put her finger on what, but knew that something was different about their relationship now. She was brought out of her thoughts as she heard Hedwig's calming tones.

She still remembered the first time that she had seen Hedwig. Needless to say, she had been shocked silent, and only recovered at the smirking faces of Harry and Hermione. She would never admit it, but she had been regularly seeking Hedwig out after Harry and Hermione left for their morning 'run'. Hedwig's presence had helped her out immensely, and although she didn't feel that she needed some comfort, she still spent some time with the beautiful Phoenix. It might be selfish of her to think that Hedwig was not proficient enough as a Phoenix, in order to use their method of travel, but she was well aware that she couldn't write to Astoria by a normal owl. She knew it in her mind, but she still wished to contact her little sister.

"What's wrong with him?" Daphne asked. Not getting an immediate response, she slowly put her hands on Hermione's shoulder, making sure not to startle her. "Hermione . . .?"

Despite her best efforts, Hermione whipped her head around as if startled. Seeing the almost desperate and scared look in her eyes, increased Daphne's concern about her potential new friend.

"Focus, Hermione. Do you know what's wrong with him?" Daphne repeated.

"No. I just felt Harry's magic, and came here as fast as I could. I have no idea what's wrong with him." Hermione replied, her tone laced with worry for Harry. Hedwig trilled a happy song, surprising the two worried teens.

"Hedwig, do you know anything about this?" Hermione questioned. Hedwig just bobbed her head in response, and then alighted on Harry's shoulders, singing a song, which immediately allayed their fears.

With nothing else better to do than wait, trusting Hedwig, the two teens lapsed into silence.

**(Break)**

Harry was surprised, his words dying in his mouth as he saw _another_ Harry walk towards his father. The expression on his face mirroring his own. Startled by this development, it didn't take Harry long to theorize that this was his _memory_, a memory that he didn't remember having or experiencing, whatsoever.

He followed himself so that he was close enough to catch whatever they were speaking about. Harry made contact with the memory Harry, and suddenly he was in his place experiencing the memory first hand.

"_Dad? What's happening here? Where am I?" Harry asked rapidly. He tried wracking his brains, not able to remember where he was before he got . . . wherever here was. He turned confused eyes towards James._

"_Hey . . . don't look at me like that. I got here the same as you . . . I was just sitting and chatting to Lily . . ." James replied to Harry's unspoken question, trailing off at the overwhelmed expression on his son's face._

"_Mum's here?" Harry asked quietly._

Meanwhile, as Harry was experiencing his own memory, he started wracking his brain, desperately trying to glean something, stretching his mind to the limit, in order to find what was going on here, and if he could, maybe , talk to his parents, personally. He kept his musings at bay, for if he was correct he could analyze his memory later, for now he would just try and _experience_ talking to his parents.

"_Well, I don't really have any idea where here is apparently . . . but there are a lot of things that I need to tell you, Harry. And seeing as, you could wake up anytime; I say we better start soon." James said, his voice sounding uncharacteristically serious._

"_Wake up . . .?" Harry asked confused._

"_What is the last thing that you remember doing, Harry?" James asked gently._

_Harry scrunched up his face in concentration, and James was immediately able to tell by Harry's rapid change in expression, the exact time that he remembered._

"_I was attacked! Hermione!" Harry said frantically. He swiveled his head from side to side, desperately searching for a place to exit from._

"_Yes, you were attacked. By a vampire, if I am not thoroughly mistaken. But I believe that help is on its way." James said gently._

"_Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked as his brain processed what James had said._

As Harry experienced this however, he felt thoroughly confused. He was a Vampire, and not a normal young boy. He shouldn't need help. But, he had always looked up to Dumbledore as a savior, of sorts. But now, that thought just didn't sit right with him. Deciding to ponder over this later Harry continued his observations.

"_Among others." James replied vaguely. "Now then, there are a few things that you need to know."_

_Harry sat in a chair that seemed to materialize behind him, and James finding one behind him as well plopped down on it as well._

Harry noticed this little detail, but apparently he hadn't noticed it in his memory.

"_Now, first of all being a vampire will not be all bad, for you. This is due to something that started with an accursed prophecy . . ." James started._

Harry listened to his father in amazement, The Prophecy, Voldemort's Horcruxes, James profession and role as an Auror, Lily's position in the Department as its top researcher, Voldemort's failed attacks against them. It was all a bit too much to take in. Especially James's last revelation.

"_I died . . .?" Harry asked his voice sounding disbelieving._

"_Well, technically, it wasn't you. It was the piece of soul that Voldemort had left in you that died. . ." James said placatingly._

"_So . . . the reason that being a Vampire is good for me is because I have my own soul? And that's why I can retain my Magical capabilities?" Harry asked. He just couldn't believe that he was a Vampire now._

"_Essentially, yes. Now Harry, we have observed you for your whole life, and I can honestly say that I am absolutely proud of the person that you have become. I just wish that your mother would have gotten the chance to spend time with you as well."_

'_I wish so too Dad' Harry thought despondently._

_Unnoticed by the two of them, there was a flash of light and Lily Potter phased into the empty world that the father-son duo were residing in. Her eyes brimming with tears, she moved purposefully towards her son._

Harry had noticed her as soon as she had appeared, and his eyes felt slightly damp as he saw his mother, in the flesh, so to speak. He was sure that he would be visiting this memory more often that the others.

**(Break)**

Nymphadora Tonks groaned slightly as she woke up feeling a magical alarm going off in her room. She had moved into a separate flat when she had joined the Auror Corps, her mother had adamantly denied her desires, but her reasoning eventually won out. Being a Trainee was no walk in the park, especially considering that she wasn't trained enough to handle serious cases. All that she had done up until now, was visit the crime scene _after_ other Aurors had taken care of the threat, and run inventory. It wasn't at all how she imagined what being an Auror was going to be like. She had studied her buttocks off at Hogwarts, and for what!

Silently grumbling, she got up from her bed and made her way to the chair over which her cloak was draped and fished out the beeper that had been issued to her. The reason for the alarm was fairly simple; she was being called in for a case.

**(Break)**

Abigail Dustnovice hated her job. She was stuck in her small cubicle, at the end of the 2nd floor of the Ministry, monitoring for any unusual magical activity in Britain. It was a testament to her rightful hatred of her job that she was the only one responsible for monitoring the _whole_ of Britain. The job was simple really, she would just have to report any unusual activity to the Aurors, and she was done. No one acknowledged her work, and she was never mentioned in any of the papers when she had made the report that had led the Aurors to crack a case that had been important enough to make the Daily Prophet.

So she didn't feel any remorse in making a little extra money, on the job. It wasn't anything serious, as she still feared getting caught, just simple stuff. Turning a blind eye to unusual magical activity in an area on a given night, was pretty harmless. Though she had been surprised, by the quite generous offer that she had received from a cloaked stranger. That particular individual had requested not for her to turn a blind eye, but _inform_ him of such surges. She had been skeptical, but his offer had afforded her a nice place in the city, that she had always had her eye on, and that was a powerful enough motivator for her to accept. So after she had dutifully informed the Aurors about the surge, she placed a floo call to the address that he had left her.

**(Break)**

After experiencing the emotional upheaval, of re-uniting with his parents, Harry listened to his parents silently. They had a lot of things that they felt that he should know about the House Of Potter and the Wizarding World in general. They explained to him, the less-known topic of finding a Blood-Mate as the vampires called it. Harry blushed at the frankness with which his father explained it to him, but after having heard it, realized that it was the only way that it could be explained.

"_There is another thing that I think that would help you against Voldemort, Harry." Lily said softly, as she was sitting near Harry and was holding his hand comfortingly. _

"_When you go to Gringotts, go down to the Potter Family Vault. There are two trunks that contain our belongings. Inside my trunk is my research, which I was conducting while I was at the Department of Mysteries." Lily said, stopping as she heard James groaning loudly._

"_Do you have something to say James?" Lily asked, her voice sounding dangerously pleasant._

"_Lily, no offence to Harry, but you spent nearly three years working on that, and still you have nothing to show for it. I'm not saying that you work is useless, if it were indeed possible, it would be a tremendous help to Harry, but right now he needs to focus on training himself in dueling." James replied, wincing slightly at the calm expression on his wife's face. He was sure that he was going to regret this later._

"_Dad, I really don't mind. It's not like I have to train every waking hour, is it? I can just do it in my spare time." Harry said, trying to diffuse the tension between his parents._

"_Harry, it's not a side project that Lily was working on . . . she was the most brilliant witch that I have ever seen, or heard of and she still wasn't able to do it. Granted, that she wasn't all that much focusing on it for half that time, but one and a half years is a considerably long time." James argued. He was laying on a bit much of the compliments towards Lily, hoping to placate her, but judging by experience, it wouldn't work._

"_As I was saying, the project is primarily based on Charms and Runes, so it is a good thing that you decided to study Runes. You can even get Hermione to help you, I'm sure that she would like the challenge. I won't waste this time we have in trying to explain the project to you; all the necessary details and tools that you would need are present in that trunk." Lily said, smiling warmly._

Harry watched as he spent the rest of the time that they had talking about inconsequential things, telling tales of their time at Hogwarts. He was particularly shocked to learn that his mother and Snape had been friends once, although she had added; quite vehemently, that she didn't consider him her friend anymore and that James had been right about him all along.

"_I think that you are waking up Harry." Lily said, as she noticed that her hand that was holding Harry's was slowly turning transparent._

_Harry unconsciously tightened his hold on his mother's hand, silently willing her to stay longer. He didn't want to say goodbye so soon. His mother seemed to understand what was going through his mind, and smiled tearfully._

"_Always remember that we love you Harry." She said as she got up and hugged him tightly, rubbing his head comfortingly. James also walked over and joined in on the family hug, reveling in the sensation of having his family complete, even if it was for a short time._

"_Kick Voldemort's ass son." James said as he disappeared completely. Harry didn't know if he was simply imagining things, but he could have sworn that he heard his mother shriek, "JAMES!"_

Silent tears rolled down Harry's cheek, as the memory vanished and he was suddenly in an empty space within his mind, and had several of his memories swirling around his head randomly. He silently vowed to himself that he would do just that. Determination flooded his being, Voldemort would pay. He would pay for all the crimes that he had committed, especially against the Potter family. Harry would make sure that he did. With that last thought, he concentrated on coming out of his mind and opened his eyes.

**(Chapter End)**

**A/N:- Look! No cliffly! Anyways, regarding Snape I haven't made up my mind, so I will leave it up to you readers. My story can go either way, so . . . .**

**Should Snape be forgiven?**

**1)Yes**

**2)No**

**Review!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter

**Warnings: **Violence , and Mature Themes.

**Chapter 21**

Perenelle woke up sluggishly as she felt an unfamiliar heat burning on her neck. As she fought off the lingering sleepiness, a comfort, while unnecessary, that she regularly indulged in; she soon realized the reason that she had woken up. The pendant that she wore around her neck was emitting heat. The wards around Hermione's house had detected a visitor, and he/she was not a muggle. She immediately sat up, waking up her mate in the process.

"Nellie, come back to bed." Nicholas Flamel, her husband and a Vampire for all of three years said, his tone almost whining. After being turned, his first year was really difficult for him; she had to help him steadily cope with the fact that he wasn't magical anymore. He was always feeling vulnerable without his magic, and for good reason. The loss of Magic that he had been living with for centuries hit him particularly hard, and yet he came through it. Perenelle admired and adored him for that, she knew that she couldn't imagine herself defending herself without her magic there to help her.

"The wards at Harry's place have been triggered; I'm just going there to make sure everything is alright. I'll be back before you know it." Perenelle replied pleasantly, as she changed her clothes, aware of her husband's staring eyes. She opened the secret closet that she had and took out her outfit that she had commissioned to be made from the Basilisk Hide that she had borrowed from Harry. She had a feeling that she would need it today.

Nicholas, or as he preferred, Nick, didn't bother asking her if she needed help. He was well aware that she was a much more capable fighter than he was, even without her using magic. Besides, he had been a husband in a rather brilliantly successful marriage and he hadn't managed that by being stupid or overprotective. Though it wasn't like it was a traditional marriage, as evident by the sleeping woman on his other side, he still prided himself for the fact that he could honestly say that the two of them loved each other as much or maybe even more than when they had started out their relationship. Vampires were sexual creatures, plain and simple, and sometimes having a single mate just didn't cut it. Nick thanked the gods for his life every day.

(Break)

"You sure this is the right place?" Tonks asked her partner, and teacher, Kingsley Shacklebolt. The muggle neighborhood looked exactly what it would look at night, absolutely boring.

"We are at the right co-ordinates Tonks, keep alert." Kingsley replied stoically, his voice screaming professionalism. This irked Tonks quite a bit; she didn't mesh well with his personality at all. But she didn't voice her thoughts to her superiors, or file for a change as she was well aware that he was among the best Aurors within the DMLE, and she had much to gain if she were to remain with him.

"Why are you so tense, Shacklebolt? This is obviously a muggle neighborhood; it was most likely a Muggleborn thinking they could get away with magic out of school." Tonks said.

"That is not the case here Tonks, such reports are not handled by the DMLE. The Improper Use of Magic Office is responsible for that; our report didn't come from there. It would serve you well to remember that in the future. Now tell me what you see." Kingsley said.

Tonks relaxed, breathing deeply in order to improve her concentration, as she put the training that she had went through to use. It was standard procedure to check the area for any residual magic, and only then would their next step be determined. Tonks was better at this than most, partially due to the long hours that she had put in practicing, but also due to the fact that she was a Metamorphmagus, which meant that, she was adept at harnessing her magic, and using it.

"There are some pretty strong Wards around that house." Tonks said as she opened her eyes, and pointed to a bungalow a little ways away from their position.

"Good analysis. Let's go." Kingsley replied n the same tone as before. Tonks barely controlled her urge to scream at her superior, as she followed him.

(Break)

Harry opened his eyes to a surprising sight. Both Hermione and Daphne were looking at him worriedly. He was surprised by the worry shown in Daphne's eyes. He didn't realize that she cared that much. His head was still reeling from the memory of the talk that he had apparently had on the night that he was turned. He would need to think more about that later, and he would definitely need to have a talk with Perenelle, and the Headmaster for that matter. He didn't blame them, and would make sure that they knew that. Sure, he was a bit angry, he had doubted that any of this would have happened to him if the Headmaster had come clean from the start, and had told his parents as much.

He had initially felt betrayed when his father had told him that Dumbledore hadn't done anything wrong, apart from placing him with the Dursleys, of course. His mother's indignant reaction to that statement had been somewhat comforting though.

He had even wondered if Perenelle would have offered him her Mentorship if he hadn't been involved in the prophecy, and realized that she probably wouldn't. Truth hurt, but harry was determined to not let it bring him down. There was only one positive way that he could look at the prophecy. It was an opportunity. An opportunity, which he fully intended to get maximum benefits out of. Besides, who was to say that he wouldn't end up fighting Voldemort, even if he wasn't mentioned in the prophecy, he had always wanted to become an Auror, and they spent their lives fighting Dark Wizards all the time.

He put such thoughts out of his mind as he realized that the girls were still staring at him in worry.

"What happened to you Harry?" Hermione asked. Daphne also leaned in closer, eager to hear Harry's response.

"Um. . . I was just meditating. You know, visiting my core. Why are the two of you in my room?" Harry asked, adopting a confused expression on his face. He couldn't tell Hermione about his success with Daphne in the same room, he had taken Perenelle's warning to heart, and would limit information about his and by extension Hermione's, true nature, skills, abilities and power, as much as he could manage.

"Well . . ." Daphne started and at receiving Hermione's assent, continued "I felt a liberal amount of power coming from inside the house, and it instantly woke me up, I just came down to investigate, and found Hermione already in your room." '_I just thought that I was going to be attacked_', Daphne thought silently to herself.

"Ah. . .sorry to make you worry. But I am just fine . . . please don't lose any more sleep over me." Harry said smoothly, vaguely aware that his statement could be considered as flirting. For her part, Daphne couldn't help the blood that rushed to her cheeks, and quickly turned around to hide her face.

"Don't flatter yourself Potter, your well-being is not something that I am inclined to lose sleep over. Goodnight." Daphne said, her voice sounding a bit breathy to Harry's sensitive ears. He turned excitedly over to Hermione as soon as he heard the bedroom door close.

"Hermione, I did it! Finally can acess my memories now." Harry said, he was quite worried about that little setback that he was suffering through. And now that his fears were proved to be unfounded, he would finally be able to concentrate on the next step in the book.

Hermione, who was scowling inwardly at Harry's earlier statement, forgot all about it and became just as excited as Harry was.

"Harry! That's wonderful. So how did you do it? Did my advice help?" Hermione started firing off questions, her speed of speaking increasing with each word that she spoke.

"Calm down Hermione-" Harry was interrupted from speaking more as they heard a crash and a loud noise coming from the rear end of the house, near the pool. Harry quickly bounded towards the door, shifting himself as to not be visible, but having an un-obstructed view of the narrow passage leading to the pool. Unnoticed by him, his wand which was lying on his bedside dresser jumped up to his hands, and Harry feeling the comfortable weight of his wand in his hands tightened his grip on it. Hermione merely stared at the impossibility occurring in front of her, her mouth imitating a mute goldfish.

Harry spied Daphne who had left earlier, crouching nervously at the foot of the stairs. He caught her attention and motioned for her to go upstairs. She appeared to hesitate for some time, but catching the meaningful look that Harry sent her, understood what he was asking her to do. It made sense to her, now that she thought about it. Hermione's parents were Muggles, and to be quite honest, the three teenagers currently in the household were much more capable of handling whatever had made that noise, whether it be a stray cat or something much more sinister. Daphne could understand herself over-reacting to this situation, considering that she expected her parents to pull something like this off, but she wondered_, 'Why was Harry reacting the same as her? Was he expecting something like this occurring? Was there more to their disappearance than simple fitness training? '_ Her mind was plagued with such thoughts as she quietly made her way upstairs, ready to intercept Hermione's parents. She was startled, and nearly jumped up n fright as she heard the doorbell ring. Multiple times.

(Break)

Downstairs, Harry had made his way towards the pool, putting his years of experience of sneaking around, both at Hogwarts and before with the Dursleys had only been improved by his recently heightened senses. Straining his ears to catch the barest of sounds, he approached the open area cautiously, darting his eyes all over, looking for the barest of disturbances. He was so startled by the ringing of the bell that he barely stifled the scream of surprise erupting from his mouth, he turned around, his back facing the open area of the pool. He immediately recognized his folly, and just in time too. His eyes widened as he saw a shadowy figure holding out a wand pointing directly at his person. He immediately ducked back into the hallway. His eyes searching for Hermione, making sure that she was not in immediate danger. Taking a few steadying breaths, he waited.

(Break)

Hermione watched Harry approach the pool, her mind still trying to make sure whether what she saw earlier had indeed happened, or she had simply imagined it. Harry had, as she saw it; performed intentional Wandless Magic. It was supposed to be impossible for someone so young to perform it. It too years upon years of practice and familiarizing yourself with the feel of your magic, to perform even the barest of spells. Harry had just started feeling his magic 2 weeks ago! She shook her head to calm her rampaging mind, and concentrated on the matter at hand. She was more relaxed that Harry was, she had lived here for years and such sounds while rare were not that uncommon. It was most probably a street cat that had fumbled its fall. But considering Harry's luck, it wouldn't be such a simple matter. She was jolted out of her thoughts at the insistent ringing of the doorbell.

She turned around; her wand gripped tightly in her hand and made her way to the front door. Looking through the peephole, she saw two figures, a relatively young Witch and a tall, black Wizard. She immediately recognized the robes they were wearing as the standard garb of the Aurors of the DMLE. She recognized it from the various brochures that she had with her about prospective Ministry Jobs; which, she mused were now obsolete. Still gripping her wand, she schooled her expression to one of tiredness, and opened the door warily.

"Good evening, Miss-" Started the Dark skinned wizard, before he was interrupted by his partner.

"Hermione . . . ? Is that you?" the young witch asked excitedly. She seemed to be looking at her intently, as if trying to place where she had seen her before.

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" Hermione asked, her tone guarded. Events were spiraling out of control here. First Harry's wave of magic, then the disturbance in the pool area, and now Aurors at her house!

"Ah, I was a Ravenclaw until your . . . second year." Tonks said, after calculating the age difference a bit. "I'm a friend of Harry's, he mentioned you quite often. It's a shame we never met. Tonks." She said holding out her hand in greeting. Hermione heard Tonks's partner huff in exasperation.

"A pleasure, how can I help you?" Hermione asked.

"We are here to investigate a Magical anomaly that occurred in this area. Could you please elaborate on this?" Tonks's partner, who still hadn't introduced himself to Hermione asked. Hermione was busy wracking her brains for a plausible excuse, but was spared from trying to explain the situation as a distorted voice spoke up from behind the two Aurors.

"_I believe I can explain that . . ." _

(Break)

Harry concentrated hard on finding the person that was somewhere in the pool area, suddenly almost as if his magic was _clicking_ much like the mechanisms of a complex watch, shifted into place and he could _feel_ that there was no longer anyone there. How he was sure he couldn't point out, but he could distinctly _feel_ the presence of the other inhabitants of the house. There were three upstairs, and surprisingly _four_ of them at the place where Harry thought the door was. Though he could barely feel the presence of the fourth person.

'_What the hell is going on over here?' _Harry thought to himself. He was getting used to feeling his magic, and yet his magic was doing things on its own, with barely a thought. What was more frustrating was that it didn't help in his spell casting at all.

Leaving his musings for later consideration, Harry walked towards the pool and examined the area. HE couldn't find the person, as he had expected, and after casting a last sweeping glance, went towards the three extra people in the Granger household.

(Break)

Kingsley Shacklebolt considered himself to be a very cool, collected, and calm guy. There wasn't much that could get a strong reaction out of him. His new Partner, Tonks could sometimes get under his skin with her bubbly personality, but he was a man that respected power, and ability. As such, Nymphadora had his grudging respect. She was a rookie Auror, but had graduated early from the Auror academy, with top grades. He would have never consented to be her partner if it weren't for the fact that she was pretty damn good at what she did. He only resented the fact that she was usually able to get a rise out of him. Some people thought of him as emotionless, he preferred to think that he was merely more observant, enabling him to react calmly to any situation.

"_I believe I can explain that . . ." _

That calmness went flying out the window as soon as he heard someone speak from directly behind him. He recognized the distorted voice. It was a simple spell really, it masked the voice of the speaker, and anyone who heard the voice would think that it was numerous voices echoing together, but still perfectly audible and surprisingly clear. Everyone knew of the spell, but, none could perform it. It was a closely guarded secret of the Department Of Mysteries, or more specifically The Order. It was a sound that he had only heard once before in his life, during the last War.

He knew that technically, he wasn't supposed to be privy to the existence of the Order, but to those individuals that were part of the resistance against Voldemort, it was the worst kept secret. He mused that this was deliberate. Rumors were a powerful thing, and Voldemort was a particularly skillful manipulator of them. The Order had worked steadily and worked up the same reputation that the Death Eaters of Voldemort had. Just as the sight of Death Eaters induced panic among the general populace, so did the Order among the Death Eaters_. 'But, it doesn't make sense, The Order was personally wiped out by Voldemort himself, there were no members left.'_ Kingsley thought

He turned slowly, nervousness building in his stomach. It would be only his second time encountering them, but it was something that he wasn't going to forget soon. The figure was fairly tall, and fully clad in black. From the boots to the gloves to the cloak, everything was of the same shade of black, giving the impersonation of a shadow. The face was hidden by a swirling darkness that was impossible to penetrate through, hiding the person's face from view. The cloak was plainly adorned with a silver zipper and seemingly pointless silver beaded pull strings for the hood, making a semi-circle in the middle, connected by a relatively thicker links of chain. The zipper was partially opened at the top and bottom, revealing that the person standing in front of his was a female and wore knee high boots, with silver edges and black tights above them. All in all, she imposed a very intimidating figure.

He was so distracted by her appearance that he was too late to warn Tonks to stand down.

Tonks for her part was freaked out by the person's sudden appearance, and she reacted without thinking. She flicked her wrist in a practiced motion and spoke purposefully.

"_**Stupefy**_"

She was confident that her spell would hit, there wasn't much of a distance separating them, and she believed that she was quick enough to surprise her. She was too distracted to take note of the faint prickling at the back of her mind.

She thought wrong.

Her spell had barely left her wand, before it smashed harmlessly against a glowing, solid silver shield with blue colored runes splattered throughout it. She stared in disbelief for a fraction of a second, but before she could cast another spell, Kingsley's voice rang out.

"Tonks! Stand down!" he commanded.

"_Nice reflexes girl, but underestimating an enemy will not end well for you." _The woman spoke, her voice sounding amused, which coupled with the tone sounded downright freaky.

"_Hermione, call Harry. It's time for an impromptu lesson."_

(Chapter End)

A/N:- I Dunoo if I got the description of the cloaks correct, but if any of you have trouble visualizing it, just Google Organization XII Cloaks. Anyway, the plot will start to pick up pace after the next Chapter.


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter

**Warnings: **Violence , and Mature Themes.

**Chapter 10**

Hermione nodded her head dumbly; her mind had effectively shut-off trying to process the various occurrences of this night. She walked mechanically towards where she had seen Harry last, absently noting that her parents and Daphne were coming down the stairs, confused and nervous expressions on their faces.

She saw as Daphne scampered towards Harry, who had walked into the living room, her expression full of nervousness and worry.

"Potter, did you find out what made the noise?" she asked hurriedly.

"Oh, it was just a cat. It appeared as if it fell down while jumping between walls." Harry replied, smiling reassuredly at her. Hermione would not have doubted this statement were it not for the significant look that he had shot her. She saw as his eyes widened marginally, before he schooled his features as he caught sight of the other people in the living room.

(Break)

Harry had a hard time not staring at the people gathered in the house. He recognized Perenelle immediately, his Vampire instincts picking her out easily, but it was neither her presence nor her attire that caught his attention. It was a friend that he hadn't expected to encounter so soon.

"Tonks?"

Tonks who was staring in wide-eyed astonishment at Perenelle, the Order member, as Kingsley informed her in vague terms of the significance of the person that she had attempted to attack. It was overwhelming to say the least. As she heard a familiar voice call out her name, she turned towards him . . . and stared.

The first thing she noticed was his eyes. Deep emerald green eyes that shone with absolute power. Just looking into his eyes, she felt her knees growing weak, her heart skipped a beat, her breath hitched and a shiver wracked through her body. Her mind immediately cautioned her not to cross this man. He radiated a presence that screamed power, and yet as she continued staring at him, she caught sight of the amusement flickering in his eyes. That gave her mind a pause, and she forced herself to look over his face properly. Messy black hair, a lithe body not grotesquely muscled, and the faint traces of a scar. . . a _very_ familiar lightning bolt scar.

Her mind screeched to a halt. It was Harry. Her mind processed it, but she still stared.

She stared as he walked closer to her, a confused expression blooming on his face, he raised his hands and waved it in front of her face, and on not getting any reaction snapped his fingers, effectively snapping her out of her daze.

"Harry? Is that you?" Tonks asked in a whispery voice.

Harry just nodded his affirmatively.

"H-How? I-I mean, what happened to you? You look so different now." Tonks said, shakily at first but regaining her normal exuberance as she was able to shake her previous thoughts from her head.

"It has been an year Tonks. I took some potions for supplementing my growth." Harry lied coolly.

"Oh. I guess you finally got around to doing that huh?" Tonks said, a bright smile adorning her face.

"Yeah."

"Now Harry, mind explaining what is going on over here? Do you know this person?" Tonks asked, inclining her head towards Perenelle.

"What is going on over here?" asked the voice of Hermione's dad. The trio of people upstairs had joined the party downstairs.

"Professor." Harry said, catching her attention. Perenelle looked at him expectantly, but Harry didn't say anymore. He gave another meaningful look at her, and she seemed to understand. She cast her consciousness outwards, aiming towards Harry.

"I wasn't aware that you had progressed this far in the book, Harry. Telepathy is something that is towards the end of the Mind Arts." Perenelle thought. She had to guide Harry's mind as well as her own to keep up the connection, and she was sure that she couldn't keep this up for long.

"I just read ahead. Seemed like a good idea, I thought that it would help with accessing my memories." Harry thought back.

"So, why are we conversing like this? I assume that there is something that you would like to tell me privately."

"Yes. There was someone here today. I didn't get a good look at him, but he definitely wasn't here for a pleasant conversation. He fled as soon as the Aurors arrived here." Harry thought with a hint of frustration.

"Where?"

"Down the hallway near the pool."

"I'll take a look. Maybe I can trace him back to his location."

"You can do that?" Harry was a bit amazed.

"Yes. I'll teach it to you later. And I would like to say, it was quite thoughtful of you to inform me of the situation as soon as possible. You will make a fine Order member if you keep this up." Perenelle was definitely amused by Harry's reaction. He just ducked his head slightly at the compliment.

Their whole interaction had barely taken a second, thus, no one was alerted to it.

"Who are you?" Dan continued, looking at the mass of wizards and witches at his door.

"_I am Harry's mentor. I'm sure you daughter has informed you of this fact. I believe you have much to talk about, I'll just get back to you shortly."_ Perenelle said. She ignored the wide-eyed Aurors, and the slight fearful look that Hermione's parents had in their eyes. She made her way towards the place that Harry had mentioned.

"Hermione?" Emma asked weakly.

"Mum, Dad, there are a few things that happened to me that I haven't told you about. Not the whole truth at least . . ." Hermione started, and glanced at Harry.

"Is this about your recent drastic physical changes?" Emma asked, an anticipated yet nervous look flittering across her eyes.

Hermione winced. That was not exactly what she was talking about, but she conceded that her parents might think that. Their excuse was pretty; to put it bluntly, lame.

"Not exactly . . ." Hermione then started her tale of what was really going on with her and to some extent Harry.

(Break)

Perenelle reached the pool, and took out her wand. She cast several revealing spells, and confirmed that the attacker was definitely here. There were various spell residues left in the air, and judging by the feel of them, most were _very_ unfriendly. This worried her greatly. She hadn't counted on Voldemort to make a move this soon; she had thought that they would have at the very least, two more years to prepare Harry and the Order, as under-staffed as it was, for the upcoming confrontation with Voldemort. That is if the attacker was here for Harry at all.

She was aware of the Gree- Daphne's situation, and judging by what she knew of her parent's, it could very well be her that the attacker was after. But it wouldn't matter, he had definitely seen Harry, and if he had successfully recognized him, it wouldn't take long for the more loyal Death Eaters to learn about this.

She would need to do some serious Warding around the Granger's residence, and it would take up most of the week to do. Pushing such thoughts out of her mind, she concentrated on the point that her spell indicated that someone had Apparated away from. It appeared as a small tiny suction, drawing in all that was around it, the remnants of her spell.

The sucking sensation of Apparition was caused by travelling through something that she called the Slipstream. Wizards used this to _ride _to their destination, and due to this fact, Apparition could be traced.

Drawing her wand resolutely, she cast the Disillusionment Charm on herself, her skill with it rendering her completely invisible. Concentrating on the Slipstream, focusing her mind to concentrate on both the spells simultaneously, she Disapparated with barely a sound.

(Break)

" . . . and then Sirius left on Buckbeak." Hermione finished. Shocked silence met her ending statement. She had altered her tale significantly, making sure to never mention Voldemort at all. Thus, Quirell was responsible for stealing the stone, the Heir of Slytherin was an un-named person, and the events of third year didn't have much to do with Voldemort at all.

Before her parents could get their muddled minds in gear, Kingsley suddenly whipped out his wand and pointed it directly at Hermione.

Before anyone else could react to this new development, or Kingsley could offer an explanation to his actions, he found himself staring down the business end of a wand. Absently noting the runes carved into the wand, his eyes followed to the arm that was clutching the wand steady, and as his eyes caught sight of the person staring at him, be barely could repress the urge to step back in irrational fear. But he was a Senior Auror, and had dealt with his fair share of fights, and was able to hold his own. Barely.

"And what do you think you are doing?" Harry asked. His voice was unnaturally calm, but the threat in it was more than obvious. Kingsley tried staring the slightly shorter wizard down, but immediately averted his eyes. Those weren't the eyes of a kid, reacting foolishly. No, Harry's eyes radiated a cool confidence and overwhelming power that unnerved Kingsley.

"You have just admitted to aiding and abetting a dangerous criminal. I am under orders to detain you for further questioning." Kingsley replied, his voice normal. He saw anger flash through Harry's eyes for just a moment before the cool look was back.

"Hermione has already told you all that we know about Sirius. We have no further information to share with you. And if you had bothered to listen to the story carefully, you would realize that you are hunting for the wrong man. Sirius is innocent, and the same cannot be said for Pettigrew." Harry replied.

"Do you have any evidence to support your claims?" Kingsley asked, after a moment of hesitation.

"Would a memory or even an oath suffice?" Harry asked after a short pause.

"I am afraid it won't. The Wizengamot does not consider them as sufficient evidence." Kingsley replied, his voice a bit bitter. He had worked alongside Sirius during the last war, and had respected the man. If not for his maturity, then his loyalty. He didn't believe Sirius was capable of betraying his friends, but his actions the past year had confirmed that Black was dangerous. He wouldn't be surprised if this was all a very imaginative story spun by Black to get close to The-Boy-Who-Lived. He needed to intimidate the two teens enough so that they would begin to question their loyalty to a man that he thought was a Death Eater.

Hermione's parents, who had moved to stand behind her, were staring at the two wizards apprehensively. They didn't understand much about the situation, but knew that the Wizard and Witch were some sort of policemen, and were talking about taking Hermione into custody. Knowing that it was best to cooperate, Dan spoke up, "Uh, Officer, Why don't you ask your questions here? I'm sure that this is all a big misunderstanding."

Hermione shot an annoyed look at her parents, and motioned at them to keep silent. Dan bristled slightly, but kept quiet as Emma place her hands on his forearm. Daphne was standing a little ways away, observing the events that were happening here.

"Regardless, you are not authorized to arrest Order members. They do not answer to the Ministry, the only one that they are answerable to is the Head of the Department Of Mysteries." Harry said.

"While that may be true, you cannot be members of a Ministry Office while you are underage." Kingsley shot back at Harry. He was getting a tad bit annoyed with him.

"True, but I believe that Apprentices are exempt from this rule?" Harry replied, raising his eyebrows questioningly.

Kingsley faltered. He didn't know that. He narrowed his eyes at Harry, trying to determine whether he was lying or not. He couldn't glean a thing, neither from his expression nor his eyes.

"Very well. But rest assured, if your claim doesn't check out, you can expect Aurors to be arriving at your doorstep soon." Kingsley inclined his head slightly, and turned around to leave.

"_Hold on just a moment . . ._"

(Break)

Perenelle materialized in a dark alleyway. After making sure that her Disillusionment Charm was still working perfectly, she observed her surroundings. Stone pavements, matted with dirt and grime, rats scampering off in haphazard directions, shady buildings, and a rather questionable presence of people. She walked off slightly, not wanting to bump into anyone and alert them of her presence yet.

She recognized this place immediately. She had landed in Knockturn Alley. She cursed inwardly. She wouldn't be able to follow anyone here. Half the people in here matched Harry's description of a hooded figure. Nevertheless, she opened her mind and began scanning the thoughts of the people surrounding her, searching for a memory of anyone who seemed to want to disappear in a hurry. Not finding anyone worth investigating, and frankly disturbed by some of the thoughts that she had picked up, she Disapparated back to Hermione's house, arriving near the pool again.

As she walked back into the house, she began to make a mental list of the various Wards that needed to be put up. Anti-Apparition, Anti-Portkey, and judging by Harry's past, some Anti-Animagus wards would need to be put up immediately. She had previously thought that just the Intrusion Ward would be enough. It was a muggle neighborhood, and the presence of strong wards would certainly attract unnecessary attention to the house, but tonight's events made that thought process backfire. She arrived back at the house just as Hermione had finished her tale. She stood back slightly, curious about how Harry would handle the situation. She watched, feeling strangely proud as Harry handled the situation wonderfully. Never giving out information needlessly, taking full advantage of her earlier appearance. She knew that Harry was the Head of House Potter, and as such if he were to claim that, the Auror would have no choice but to back off. But he didn't use it. He opted to keep that information to himself, and Perenelle was happy with his decision.

She was wary at first, when he had just joined the Apprenticeship; when she had told him that she would not give him orders to how to proceed in every situation. He was just a child, after all. But she had a feeling that it would be the right choice to make, and was happy to see that she had made the right decision. She had been surprised when he had asked for a copy of the memories of the last war that she had shown the both of them when they had arrived that first day, but nevertheless had given them to him, along with a small portable Pensieve. She had an inkling as to the reason that he had asked for them, but had given them to him, she had promised to give them any information that they asked for after all.

Harry thrived when he was working on his own, and she would only step in if absolutely necessary. People that can't think for themselves didn't belong in the Order.

And one such situation presented itself, just as the Auror turned to leave. Perenelle walked forward, and was interested to notice that Harry had glanced at her briefly just as she had appeared in his field of vision, which was odd, considering she was still under her Disillusionment Charm. Putting her observation aside for the moment, she cancelled the charm and said, "_Hold on just a moment . . ._"

(Break)

Harry had thought that he had _felt_ someone arrive just as soon as Hermione had finished her tale, but wasn't sure about it. If he had to take a guess, he would say that it was Perenelle. He was curious to note that the person had stayed hidden, somewhere close to where he was. His suspicions were confirmed as he glanced at the person as soon as they started moving, he didn't see anyone there, but _felt_ them, along with a curious haziness in that area. So he wasn't too surprised when Perenelle just seemed to pop up in their midst with her statement.

"Yes?" Kingsley asked, pausing slightly to get his rapidly beating heart under control. Tonks had no such issues.

"Merlin woman!" Tonks exclaimed. She then seemed to realize it, and held her head down to hide her embarrassment. Perenelle ignored her.

"_Auror Shacklebolt, are you aware about the rules regarding the Department OF Mysteries' information protection?_" Perenelle asked in an even voice. Harry stood up a little straighter and glanced at Tonks worriedly.

Kingsley stiffened. He was aware of it, and had hoped to get out before a situation, exactly as the one he currently found himself in, arose. He wasn't afraid of being subjected to the Memory Charm. But the thought that things were going on in Wizarding Britain, measures that hadn't been taken since the last war against Voldemort, were being adopted again, was what scared him. It was almost as if . . .

"Yes." Kingsley's voice broke slightly for the second time this evening, a hint of nervousness noticeable in his voice.

"_Splendid. I assume you have no objections?"_ Perenelle asked. She glanced at Harry curiously, taking note of his change in expression.

"No." Kingsley answered shortly.

"Kingsley what's going on?" Tonks asked, worry creeping into her voice. She glanced at Harry, and wasn't comforted in the least to see the worry shining in his eyes. She had been _very_ surprised by his behavior tonight. She had always thought of him as a relatively cute, and happy person, if a bit mature beyond his years. A good friend. To see him act so . . . _professional_ tonight had really caught her off-guard.

Kingsley turned serious eyes towards his partner and spoke, "The Department Of Mysteries had the right to perform the Memory Charm on any member of the population if they deem it necessary."

"WHAT?" two simultaneous voices rang out. Hermione and Tonks had shocked expressions on their face. Hermione turned towards Harry, a bit surprised at his lack of reaction. She caught him looking at Tonks worriedly, and was happy to see that he hadn't changed . . . much. He still cared about his friends.

"You can't do that!" Tonks continued vehemently. She was a bit disappointed at Harry's lack of reaction. She was beginning to think that he didn't care about their friendship. Last time she checked, friends didn't consent to subject their friends to a Memory Charm. She was surprised how much his reaction, or lack thereof hurt her.

"Keep silent Tonks, they have the right to do this." Kingsley said warningly.

"But . . ."

"No"

Tonks slumped. She glanced briefly at Harry again.

"_Very well." _

"Wait! This isn't necessary. They might have learned about the Order and our part in it, but I am sure that they can give an oath to not mention tonight's occurrences to anyone. Wouldn't that be enough?" Hermione asked. She had waited for Harry to speak up, but seeing that he wasn't going to, she did.

Tonks turned hopeful eyes towards Perenelle. She had learned many exciting things tonight, including her cousin's innocence and so many exciting things about Harry that she didn't know. She didn't want to simply forget about them. It wasn't that she was scared of Memory Charms, she had also used them, thrice. But she knew that she definitely didn't want to forget about tonight.

She was surprised when Kingsley was the one who answered.

"No, the Oath that Aurors take will not allow me to willingly lie, or falsify a report. The DMLE knows that I am here, and I will be expected to write a report about my findings. This would be the only way to protect the information." Kingsley said.

"_If we could continue . . ._" Perenelle said.

"Of course. If you could just answer one question?" Kingsley asked.

"_Very well."_ Perenelle replied expectantly.

"Why now? Why re-construct the Order now?" Kingsley asked, a bit fearful of the answer.

" _. . . the same reason as last time."_ Perenelle replied, her voice a bit subdued.

"You mean . . ."

"_Yes_." Perenelle cut him off.

"Does anyone else know of this?" Kingsley asked alarmed.

"_Amelia is aware of the situation."_

Kingsley took a bit of time to come to grips with this horrifying news, and then said, "I Kingsley Shacklebolt, allow the Memory Charm to be cast on me." It was always easier to modify someone's memory if you had their consent. Less chances of unintended wipes occurring too.

Perenelle took out her wand, and Kingsley braced himself.

"_**Obliviate**_" Perenelle enunciated each syllable carefully, leaving no room for mistakes.

As soon as the spell hit Kingsley, his eyes gained a glassy look, and he stared blankly ahead at Perenelle.

Harry was wracking his brains for any information that would help him justify not wiping Tonks' memory. It would be selfish of him to simply ask her not to do it, but he was ready to do it if he couldn't come up with a suitable reason for sparing Tonks' memory. She was his friend, and her knowing about Voldemort being alive would enable her to better prepare herself. Perenelle had told him that Amelia, the head of the DMLE was made aware of the situation, but her hands were tied as long as Fudge was the Minister for Magic. He had another year left as the Minister, before the next election would take place. If he were to be chosen as the Minister in the next election as well, Magical Britain would be seriously crippled, and totally vulnerable to Voldemort.

Amelia had repeatedly put forth requests to increase the funding for training Aurors, and increasing their training drastically. Fudge had repeatedly declined her requests, stating that Wizarding Britain was in a time of peace, and thus such measures were unnecessary and would send the wrong message to the people. Perenelle had told him that she had no doubt that it was Lucius Malfoy that was responsible for this oversight. His 'generous donations' of gold had ensured that Fudge would follow Lucius around like a lovesick fangirl. If he were to catch wind of any information regarding their knowledge of Voldemort's continued existence, Lucius would be the first one to know, and it wouldn't be long before the Dark Lord was made aware of that fact. Something that they wished to avoid at all costs.

So, Harry wanted Tonks to know about Voldemort and the danger that the Wizarding world will soon be in. But he realized that he couldn't let personal feelings interfere now. He realized it, but he didn't like it.

"_Auror Tonks, if you would please consent . . ._" Perenelle spoke.

Hermione watched as Harry seemed to struggle with himself, as if he would like nothing more than to stop Perenelle.

Tonks cast one last glance at Harry, and sighed. She gave her consent as well.

"_**Obli**_-"

"Professor." Harry spoke, stopping Perenelle mid chant. Perenelle smirked inwardly, she had expected him to stop her a lot earlier. But appearances had to be kept, and it would be a valuable lesson for him.

"_Yes?"_ Perenelle hissed out coldly.

Harry resisted a wince. But ploughed on, "Professor, as I understand it, Junior Aurors don't have to take their oaths yet, so Tonks oath of silence should suffice. Am I right?"

"_And why make an exception? It'd be easier to simply make her forget._" Perenelle said in the same cold tone.

Harry hesitated before answering. "She's my friend. And I don't want to see her hurt."

"_So it's personal? That's not the kind of thinking that I encourage. Making decisions on the basis of personal motivations is not good for people in our line of work. You know better than that._"

"I know. But I can't help it." Harry replied.

Perenelle sighed, but put down her wand. "_I'll see you tomorrow._" Saying that she Disapparated silently. She had some things to take care of.

The remaining occupants of the house turned almost simultaneously towards him, each wearing different expressions on their faces.

'_It's gonna be a long night._' Harry thought.

(Chapter End)


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter

**Warnings: **Violence , Gore and Lemons(Much Later)

**Chapter 23**

The room was doused in tense silence. Each of the inhabitants were looking at each other, wondering who would be the first one to break the silence. Emma Granger got up silently, intending to make some refreshments. She desperately needed to do something to take her mind off of the tale that Hermione had told them.

She had nearly died _four_ times in the past _three_ years. Sure, they had been informed by the Headmaster, but hearing the true accounts of the events from Hermione's own mouth was chilling, and stabbed at her doubts about Hermione living in the Wizarding World incessantly. She mechanically prepared some coffee, the familiar action of making the beverage calming down her racing thoughts. She and Dan had always been supportive of Hermione's decisions, and were proud of their daughter. But, this was no mere school problems that teenagers face. It was a matter of Hermione's life. She knew that she had to be strong, Dan was already leery of the idea of Hermione's recent decisions. She needed to make sure that her family would get through this . . . . hopefully together.

(Break)

Tonks was feeling uneasy in the tense silence. She had always been one to voice her thoughts, sometimes without any thought of the repercussions of her frankness. But she remained silent. She had too many thoughts on her mind. Harry was her friend, only one of the handful that she had. He was younger than her by five years, but even the first time that she met him, she had sensed that he was a very mature kid. Hearing Hermione's tale today, she had a very accurate idea for his maturity. Seriously, fighting against a deranged professor in his first year, slaying a thousand year old _Basilisk_ in his second year, and fighting off god-knows-how-many Dementors in his third year. Harry had faced more dangers within three years of joining the Wizarding world, than most folks did in their lifetime. She couldn't help but feel awed by him at the end of Hermione's tale. She hadn't pried much into his life while she was at Hogwarts, sensing early on in their friendship that he was immensely uncomfortable talking about anything concerning the rumors that surrounded him. She was curious, but was reluctant to strain their friendship.

And then there was the whole fiasco with the cloaked figure, the Order member as she had later learned. She could not believe that it wasn't just a fairy tale that her mother used to tell her as a bedtime story, and apparently, Harry was involved with them as well! She couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed that he didn't trust her with these things.

She saw Hermione's mom get up, and saw an opportunity.

(Break)

Daphne Greengrass gave an appreciative glance at Harry Potter. She wasn't as surprised by the recital by Hermione as the others were, she had heard it from her before after all, granted she had left out a few crucial things , but she had been able to figure out the rest on her own.

Her interest in Potter had been steadily rising this summer. The more time she spent with him, the more interested she became. He was an enigma, and tonight's events only added to the mystery surrounding Potter. Judging by recent events, Potter was connected. A connection that she could make use of. She made a note to herself to get to know Potter a bit better.

She was a Slytherin, it was time she put the traits her house was famous for to some use.

(Break)

"Harry?" Tonks said, her voice sounding unnaturally loud in the silence of the room.

Harry looked up, brought out of his thoughts. He knew that he and Hermione had some explaining to do.

"Ok, before I start, Daphne I will require your oath that you won't reveal anything you hear today." Harry said in a voice that made it clear that he wasn't going to budge on that point.

Daphne looked wary, and turned towards Hermione. She knew that Hermione would stick up for her, and she had always disagreed on many of the Pureblood customs. Oaths being one of them.

"I'm sorry Daphne, but it is necessary." Hermione answered her unspoken question.

"Don't be so dramatic Potter, it can't be that serious." Daphne stalled, her mind going over ways to get out of giving her oath.

"It is." Harry said sternly.

Daphne looked towards Harry who had answered her, and was struck silent at the serious look directed at her. She gave her oath quickly.

Emma had rejoined them at this point, and served everyone some coffee.

Harry glanced at Hermione, and nodded once, indicating that she would be the one who would be doing most of the talking.

"Mom, Dad, what I told you earlier, there is a crucial fact that I left out." Hermione began.

"You mean there's more!" Dan exclaimed angrily. Emma immediately put a warning hand on his shoulders.

"Yes. To put it bluntly, the Wizarding World is at the brink of a war."

"War? Against whom?" Dan asked hotly. The other occupants of the room gave curious glances at Hermione's statement.

"Voldemort." Hermione said, sighing slightly at the shuddering gasps that escaped Daphne's and Tonks's lips.

"But Hermione, the books that you got told us that he was dead. He died when he tried to attack Harry . . ." Emma said, trailing off at the end, not quite sure how to say the rest.

"The professor that attacked Harry in our First year was possessed by Voldemort. The Basilisk that attacked the School in Second year was acting under the orders of Voldemort. The true culprit of betraying the Potter's was a servant of Voldemort. I assure you mom, Voldemort is very much alive, and he has been targeting Harry ever since he stepped foot in Hogwarts." Hermione said firmly.

"But, that's impossible. The Ministry . . ." Tonks started, but was cut off by Hermione.

"The Ministry is not reliable, and Dumbledore felt that it would be best if the news of Voldemort's return was kept quiet."

"Who is he to decide, the DMLE should know about this!" Tonks said indignantly.

"Miss Bones knows. She had approached the Minister numerous times to bolster the Auror ranks and increase funding, but was rebuffed every time. She felt it necessary to not inform him about Voldemort." Hermione countered Tonks's statement.

"Why not?" Tonks asked.

"Fudge is an incompetent and corrupt leader. Tell me Tonks, do you really believe that the Death Eaters that were caught in the First War, the ones who claimed to be acting under the Imperius, were innocent? Even Malfoy?" Hermione asked the pink haired Auror.

"And how do you know about that? The Trials of the Wizengamot are not public knowledge." Tonks replied.

"I'm not a civilian Tonks. I am a member of the Order." Hermione stated, a bit of pride entering her tone.

"Hold on! Hermione, what are you talking about?" Dan asked. "What's this Order? Why didn't you ask us anything about this? Is the Order a form of a cult?"

"No, no, not at all. The Order is nothing like a cult, not like what you are thinking about anyway. The Order is a legitimate organization of the Ministry, though it doesn't answer to anyone. Erm, it's like the MI6 of Wizarding Britain." Hermione said, a slight hint of amusement visible on her face, despite the tense situation.

"And why are you a part of this? It's not legal for you to be employed." Dan continued.

"I made the decision to join on my own. And as for the legalities, it's been taken care of. That's all that I can say on that matter." Hermione said firmly, knowing that her parents wouldn't like it and she would be paying for it later.

Dan ground his teeth together. "And what is the purpose of the Order?"

"The Order has a singular goal, to make sure that Wizarding Britain stays safe."

"Safe? From what?" Emma asked.

"Well, a number of things. Dark Lords, dangerous Magical Creatures, sometimes even against a corrupt government." Hermione answered.

"Why did you join?" Emma asked.

"It was the best path to make a mark on the Wizarding World. I know that this is a few years early, but I am happy to be given a chance_. And I get to help Harry as well._" Hermione answered confidently, not voicing the last sentence out loud.

"But Hermione, you are still at school. Why would this, this Order recruit school children?" Emma asked. She had a warning hold on her husband's arm, making sure that he would not alleviate the problem.

Hermione turned her head down slightly. She didn't have an answer to that, well, she had, but that answer would involve telling her parents that she was a Vampire. That was not something that she was comfortable bringing up anytime soon.

Harry saw that Hermione didn't appear to be able to answer that question, but did it for her.

"Ma'am, Hermione is the brightest witch of her generation, Professor thought that she would be an adequate candidate." Harry answered with a smile directed n Hermione's direction.

"What about you boy? If I am not mistaken, you are an average student." Dan asked angrily.

"I was chosen due to the apparent interest that Voldemort has shown in me." Harry answered, his tone flat.

"So you decided to drag Hermione into this mess? Your family may not care about your well-being, but I refuse to allow Hermione to be harmed."

Harry flinched.

"Dan!" Emma said warningly.

"No! This had gone on long enough. Hermione, you are going to leave all this Order business, and the Wizarding World. I knew this was no good, we allowed you to go to Hogwarts, but I know now that it was a mistake. You will be joining High School at the end of summer, young lady. That's final!" Dan thundered.

Hermione turned wide, misty eyes towards her father. She took a deep breath, to calm herself down. All her fears were coming true. She turned towards Harry and saw the worried look in his eyes, his worry seemingly providing her strength. She squared her shoulders.

"No." She said challengingly.

"What did you just say?" Dan asked angrily.

"No. I am a witch, and I belong in the Wizarding world."

"You will do as your parents say Hermione."

"You have always let me decide the path I wanted to take in my life. Was what you told me earlier all lies?"

"No. But this is not the same. I won't allow you take part in a war, Hermione. You have already been through enough."

"But, even if I were to leave all this behind, I won't be safe. No one will be. If Voldemort were to gain power again, nothing would be able to stop him from Taking over the whole of Britain, even the normal muggle society."

"I find that hard to believe. One man cannot challenge the might of the whole of Britain."

"I assure you that Voldemort would be able to. As hard as it might be to believe, Muggles can do little to stand against a Wizard, even an untrained one. Voldemort will have no problem with taking over Britain if he were not stopped." Hermione was flushing with anger now. This was a side of her dad that she had never seen before.

Dan was prevented from answering as Emma clutched his arm painfully.

"Hermione, your dad is just trying to protect you. I apologize for his words, but you must understand. You are our only daughter, and . . . it's difficult to see you preparing to risk your life. You are just a teenager. And it's a parent's duty and pleasure to protect their children from harm." Emma tried calming down her daughter.

"You can't. Not anymore." Hermione said bluntly, but not unkindly.

Dan hung his head down, glaring at the carpet, and Emma's eyes started to water. Hermione bit her lip.

"I have to know if this changes a-anything?" Hermione asked her voice cracking slightly.

Tense silence met Hermione's question. It was broken as Emma launched herself towards her daughter, engulfing her in a tight hug, murmuring soothing phrases into her ear. Tears ran down both of their faces, clutching tightly onto one another.

"D-Dad?" Hermione asked a pleading expression on her face. Dan's eyes relaxed and he too joined his family.

"Of course it doesn't princess. Of course it doesn't."

Hermione smiled slightly and adjusted her arms to wrap around Dan as well.

Harry looked at the family with a sad smile. Happy for his best friend, sad that no matter how much Hermione insisted otherwise, this was all, his fault. He sighed wearily, this day had gone on long enough.

Looking at the two silent occupants of the room, he saw that they were lost in their own thoughts. He subtly gained their attention, and motioned for them to follow him. He made his way to his room, the two witched following behind him at a measured pace.

(Break)

As soon as the trio entered Harry's room, and Daphne closed the door, Tonks engulfed Harry n a huge bear hug.

"I'm so sorry Harry." Tonks said earnestly.

Harry blinked. And after a moment of silence asked, "What for?" his tone bewildered.

"I always thought that you were hiding something from me. I never told you this but I was a little hurt, but seeing that you were uncomfortable talking about it, I didn't call you out on it. Hearing the stuff that you went through at Hogwarts, the true events , not the rumors, makes me feel like an idiot for thinking of you like that. So I'm sorry." Tonks explained, as she unwrapped her arms from around him and stepping back.

"There is nothing to forgive Tonks. I would feel frustrated as well f I thought that my friend was hiding something that was troubling me." Harry said pointedly, a smile adorning his face.

Tonks chuckled sheepishly, but then a frown found itself making its way on her face.

"Is he really back Harry?" Tonks asked quietly. She didn't want to believe that Voldemort was not dead. He was the most powerful Dark Lord in the history of Wizarding Britain, perhaps even the world. Her being an Auror meant that she would be on the front lines when the War, as Hermione put it, would break out.

"Yes, Tonks." Harry replied solemnly.

"So why did you not let the . . . Professor . . . wipe my memory as she did for Kingsley? She sounded pretty pissed at you for that." Tonks said, throwing a questioning glance at Harry mid-sentence to see if she had referred to the Order member correctly.

Harry didn't answer immediately. He looked at both Tonks and Daphne, sighed and answered.

"I consider the both of you as my friends, and trust you more than I do others. I trust you that you will not tell anyone about Voldemort. He will rise again, Professor Dumbledore thinks so, and I do too. I just wanted you to know so that you can be prepared." Harry said honestly.

Tonks smiled widely, despite the dire future that she had known about today, she wouldn't want it any other way. She had always thought of Harry as her close friend, it was nice to know that he thought the same of her.

Daphne remained silent after Harry's statement, mulling this new information over in her head.

"You better catch up with Kingsley, Tonks. His head should be clearing right about now. Just agree with whatever story he thinks happened tonight. Shouldn't be too difficult." Harry said.

"Sure thing. Are we still up for our outing together later?" Tonks asked as she hugged him again.

"Definitely."

"See you later Harry." Tonks said and walked out of the room, leaving just Daphne and Harry in the room.

(Break)

Perenelle Apparated into her office in the Department, and switching out her garb for a more normal attire, left towards the Department Of Magical Detection, situated on the 2nd floor of the Ministry. Making her way to the lifts, she didn't have to wait long to get to her destination. It was late at night, and apart from a few late-workers and the standard Auror guards there was no one at the Ministry.

Shaking her head slightly at the sleeping guard at the 2nd floor entrance, she stealthily made her way towards the room that was responsible for the detection of magic over Britain. Rustling through a few files, and identifying the relevant orb, she disabled it, and made sure to erase her magical residue completely.

Her job done, she went back to the Department. It would be only a few hours before Harry and Hermione would arrive for their scheduled training.

(Break)

"Po . . .Harry?" Daphne asked after a long while of silence.

"Yes?"

"Why do you trust me?" Daphne asked frankly, something that she rarely ever did.

"Hermione trusts you."

"That's it? You don't have your own opinions of me?" Daphne asked a bit miffed.

If Harry was surprised at her outburst, he didn't show it. He just looked at her, "I think that you can be trusted. You haven't given me a reason not to. _Yet_." He thought silently.

"You are quite different from what Hermione told me."

"Things have changed a lot in these past few weeks. I needed to re-evaluate my position."

"Due to the Dark Lord?"

"His name is Voldemort." Harry said firmly.

"Nevertheless, answer my question."

"Yes." Harry replied after a brief pause.

"So what should I do?"

"What do you mean?"

"You and Hermione will be leaving for training every day, what do I do to train?"

"I don't expect you to fight Voldemort head-on Daphne. Just be prepared to defend yourself enough that you can escape." Harry said.

"So I should just run away!" Daphne asked outraged.

Harry observed her, a little confused where her anger was coming from. He wracked his brains for whatever information that he had on the Greengrass family. His eyes shone with understanding.

"Is this about you parents?"

"Those . . . those people are not my parents.!" Daphne spat.

"What do you want me to do Daphne? I am just as capable of doing things as you are." Harry said, lying a bit about his abilities.

"Do . . .Do you think I can join the Order?" Daphne asked hesitantly.

Harry was definitely surprised by that. He narrowed his eyes at her. "You want revenge against the Greengrasses?"

"Not exactly. If we cross paths, I wouldn't think I will not attack them. It's not well known, but my parents supported Voldemort, his ideology at the very least . . ."

"I know." Harry replied simply.

"Well, I don't know if Hermione told you this, but I have been collecting information on the baseless discrimination of Muggleborns, and Half-Bloods by the Purebloods. Hermione stated earlier that the Order is comprised of members that strive to make the Wizarding World a better place. I want to be a part of that." Daphne finished, her eyes determined. All thoughts about manipulating Harry had left her when he had said he trusted her. It was a gesture that she hadn't encountered much in her life. Most people don't trust slimy snakes. Harry was not most people.

The room lapsed into silence at that.

"Have you really thought this through? I'm not promising anything, but once you are in you can't back out." Harry said seriously.

"I have. This is something that I have to do." Daphne said, with equal seriousness.

"I'll ask the professor."

"Thank you." Daphne said.

"Do you think Hermione is done with her family by now?" Daphne asked after a while.

"No." Harry replied, after a while.

"How'd you know?" Daphne asked curiously.

"I'm Harry Potter." Harry replied cheekily.

Daphne huffed, but couldn't resist smiling slightly. She cast a searching gaze across Harry's room, her eyes searching.

"Where's Hedwig?" She asked after not finding Harry's Phoenix familiar.

"Oh, she's with Fawkes. Apparently, she had some training to do." Harry replied.

"Training?" Daphne asked.

"Yeah, apparently Phoenixes have to train to use their abilities. Fawkes volunteered to help." Harry replied.

"I didn't know that." Daphne murmured.

"So what are you training in?" Daphne asked.

"Not telling." Harry replied a bit of a smile present on his face.

(Break)

"So, what did your parents say Hermione?" Harry asked. It had been an hour, and Hermione's parents had decided that it was getting too late and that Hermione should get some sleep.

"Well, dad calmed down somewhat. He just needs time to get used to the idea that I am not a little girl anymore." Hermione said, relief in her voice.

"And you mom?" Harry asked. He was a bit relieved to know that Hermione would not be separated from him. It might be selfish, but he thought that he was stronger with her by his side.

"She was very accepting. Might be due to the fact that her father served in the military." Hermione shrugged her shoulders.

Hermione glanced at the wall clock, a bit surprised that it had only been 4 hours since she and Daphne had woken up to Harry's rampant magic. They had only a few hours before they had to go for their morning training.

"So Harry, how did you manage to acess your mind?" Hermione asked, her eyes bright with curiosity.

"Well, do I have a tale for you . . ."

(End Chapter)


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter

**Warnings: **Violence , Gore and Lemons(Much Later), Lime.

This Chapter contains a Lime, underage people please skip to the end of the Chapter after the WARNING. Enjoy reading . . .

**Chapter 24**

Done with the training for the day, Harry told Hermione to go on, stating that he would come back later. Hermione cast an inquisitive glance at Harry, but he just mouthed, 'Daphne' at her and she nodded. He had told her about Daphne's proposal while on their run together.

As Hermione was leaving, Harry stared at his best friend. He had always thought that Hermione was a very cute girl, and would grow up to be a beautiful girl. He just didn't expect it to happen so soon. It was plan torturous for him to see her run with him in her tight black shorts, and her sports bra. She had been getting increasingly comfortable around him in her attire, favoring lesser clothing. It barely left anything to the imagination, and Harry had a hard time keeping his thoughts pure. He would stare at her breathless and flushed appearance, and had to avert his eyes quickly, lest he be caught staring.

It was true that he wouldn't mind dating her; in fact he would love to go out with her. But with the threat of Voldemort, and their rigorous training, and his additional studies of Runes, Arithmancy, and Occlumency, left him tired and spent. He just felt that he didn't have the time for pursuing a relationship. Plus, he hadn't the faintest idea of how to ask her out. His mind was fixed on that ideology, but every time he was in her presence, he just felt that his reason fled him.

But recently, his mind, his very instincts were telling him that he should claim her as _his_. Harry would be left feeling confused and would sink himself further into his training to keep his mind off Hermione. He knew that it must have something to do with his Vampiric side, but was too embarrassed to ask Perenelle about it. He suspected that it had something to do with the fact that he was her Sire, the one who had turned her.

Shaking his head, he headed out of the Training Room, and thinking of a showering place, entered to take a shower, before he talked with Perenelle.

(Break)

"So the afterlife really exists . . ." Perenelle said a bit of amazement entering her voice.

"I think so. There's no other explanation for what I experienced."

"Have you checked the trunks that your parents left for you?" Perenelle asked gently. She had to constantly remind herself that Harry was not a veteran of the first War. For all intents and purposes, he was an almost-14 year old teenager. The maturity shown by him often made it easier for her to forget that little tidbit.

"I . . . think that I'll wait for some time before I feel that I am ready for that." Harry replied, his eyes cast downwards.

Perenelle frowned at that. "Harry, feeling the pain of loss is not a weakness. You just have to remember the reason that you fight, the reason that you get up every day, facing it head-on despite the pain that you feel. Never feel that you are weak because of that. It is one of the greatest strengths that mankind possesses." She finished, her tone soothing and gentle.

"I-I know. But it's still hard." Harry said softly. Perenelle nodded slightly, giving him some time to recompose himself.

"About that Prophecy . . ." Harry started.

"It's true. The department has it recorded, in the Hall Of Prophecies. I was going to take you there after you were competent enough in Occlumency. I guess it was better that you found out now. How do you feel after knowing what's in store for you?" Perenelle asked a bit curious about Harry's thoughts on the matter of the Prophecy.

"Not much different, actually. I guess that I got used to the idea of Voldemort coming after me after my Second Year. Me knowing about the Prophecy changes little, except for the fact that I have some hitherto unknown power that Voldemort has no idea about." Harry said. He wasn't lying when he said this, for him the prophecy was a mere confirmation to the idea of him being the one to fight Voldemort.

"That's very mature of you Harry, I'm sure your parents would have been proud." Perenelle said warmly.

"I _know_ they are . . ." Harry replied smiling faintly.

Perenelle chuckled. "Ah, before I forget, Ollivander sent me this letter to pass on to you. And I will be coming around sometime tonight to properly ward the Granger household." Perenelle said as she took out an envelope from her desk drawer, and handed it to Harry.

Harry looked down at the letter curiously, but diverted his attention towards Perenelle when she mentioned warding Hermione's house, putting the letter in his jeans pocket.

"Is this because of the intruder yesterday? Did you find him?" Harry asked, a little eagerly.

"Yes, I think it would be best if Hermione's house was fully protected. I couldn't find the intruder, but there is now a person that knows about your and Hermione's location. That risk has to be eliminated, and the wards that I will put up will ensure that. It has a few drawbacks, but nothing too big." Perenelle explained.

"Drawbacks?" Harry enquired.

"Well, you won't be able to use magic inside the house anymore. But Portkeys, will work just fine. With Hermione's parents and her guest knowing about your schedule, you won't need to sneak here anymore." Perenelle said. The wards that she would be putting up, will cause enough interference with the muggle appliances, using anymore magic would not be an advisable situation. But, they would be able to fight back enough to escape if they were to be attacked.

"I'm sure we can manage that." Harry acquiesced. Perenelle nodded and reached for her desk, she had some documents to go through.

"Professor?" Harry asked.

"Yes? Do you need something?" Perenelle looked up to see Harry with a hesitant expression on his face.

"The original Order were comprised of 7 members, do you have someone in mind that you are going to recruit?" Harry asked. He had been wondering about this ever since he had started his training.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do have 2 people that I am going to approach this summer." Perenelle said.

"May I ask who?" Harry asked curiously.

"The first one would be your friend, Nymphadora Tonks. She is a Metamorphmagus, a very rare ability for a witch or wizard. Her Auror results are within the 99th percentile, and she even graduated from Auror Academy a whole year early. I'm sure you know her." Perenelle smirked.

"But. . . But, yesterday. . ." Harry spluttered confused.

"I was just testing you Harry, I wanted to know your response when you were given orders that you aren't comfortable with. While ordinarily, disobeying your superior's orders is suicidal for your career, I can't fault you for your own views. I was really proud of you for standing your ground against me yesterday." Perenelle smiled at the struck expression on Harry's face.

"Well, that's great. I didn't think that you would consider her, she can be a bit clumsy. But her skill is not deniable. And who's the other one?" Harry said, voicing his thought on that matter.

"Her name is Luna Lovegood." Perenelle said simply, waiting to see if Harry would recognize her.

Harry had a feeling that he had heard the name before. Try as he might he couldn't put a finger on who Perenelle was talking about.

"She's at Hogwarts the same as you, a year younger in fact." Perenelle clarified.

"Isn't she a bit young . . .?"

"She is, but I daresay she is far more mature than you would believe her to be. Her ability, made sure of that." Perenelle said, a bit of regret tainting her tone.

"Ability?" Harry asked.

"I'll let her tell you about it, if she agrees to my proposal that is." Perenelle said.

"I was approached by another person that wished to join the Order. Daphne, formerly Greengrass." Harry said guardedly.

"Formerly Greengrass?" Perenelle asked.

"She relinquished her family name due to an incident. She came to Hermione, she didn't have anyone else to rely on." Harry explained.

"And, do you think that she should be allowed to join?" Perenelle asked curiously. This was not something that she had expected.

"I think that Hermione would be better equipped to answer that question. She had been friends with her longer than I have." Harry answered honestly.

Perenelle pondered over this new development for a while. On one hand she would get a potential new member for the Order fairly quickly, but on the other hand, the Greengrass Family was one that was best kept wary of. But if the girl had relinquished her family name . . .

"I'll talk to Hermione later today, if I am suitably impressed, I'll talk to Daphne as well." Perenelle said.

"Thank you, Professor." Harry said.

"No thanks is needed Harry, never feel that you need to keep something from me just because you think that I'll disapprove. I'm your Mentor, and I would like us to have frank discussions. We still need to figure out a lot of things about how we are going to tackle the problem about Voldemort." Perenelle said warmly.

"I'll see you later Professor, and Thank you, for everything." Harry said, thanking her for her earlier talk about his parents.

"Good day, Harry." Perenelle smiled at the grimacing expression on Harry's ace as he activated his Portkey to Hermione's house.

(Break)

The Warding of Hermione's house had taken almost three days. Hermione's parents had taken the rest of the week off, intending to ask some questions to Perenelle and seeking reassurance to their daughter's safety. Perenelle had done her best to allay their fears and doubts. By the slightly relieved faces of the elder Grangers, Harry assumed that she had been successful.

Harry had read Ollivander's letter. It was nothing more than an update on the new wand that Harry had petitioned him to fashion. It just said that he was close to locating the core that he intended to use for his wand, and to make sure to be ready to leave with him for a couple of days. He didn't elaborate much on the reason why.

Perenelle had also talked to Daphne and was suitably impressed by her conviction. She was sworn-in the next day, and had received her own copy on the book on Mind Arts. They supposed that they would have to tell her about their Vampirism sooner or later. She was bound to notice that their workout schedule was far more different than what Perenelle had outlined for her. She had been staring incredulously at the rate at which they ran and the amount of weights that they were capable of lifting.

Harry thought that that was sure going to be an interesting conversation. Thankfully, Hermione was the one who would make the initial approach.

Harry had made startling progress on his Occlumency. The next day after the whole fiasco, he had sat down for his routine Occlumency training, and had no problems accessing his Mindscape, as the book called it. The next step was to individually sort his memories, a seemingly simple task considering that inside your Mindscape the limit was your imagination itself. But there was one little snag, before Harry could sort every memory, he had to experience it again. Time was very fast inside the Mindscape, approximately four times faster, but considering Harry's tough childhood, it wasn't easy for him to re-live it again. By the time that Hermione had been done with that step altogether, Harry had barely reached his 8th birthday. Harry had helped her many a time, picking up on her sadness, and offering her a simple smile, just making sure that he was there in case she needed to talk. She had taken to practice her Occlumency in his room from then on.

It was a harrowing time for him, made even worse by the self-imposed task of going over every memory that he had requested of Perenelle, every memory that she had of the Order's various skirmishes with the Death Eaters, the interrogation of the captured Death Eaters, and the memories provided or liberated from the minds of the captured Death Eaters. He hadn't asked Perenelle to keep quiet about this fact, but was glad that she did. He didn't need to worry Hermione needlessly.

It had been almost a week since he had been able to catch even a wink of sleep.

He was careful to not let it show, but judging by the concerned glances that Hermione had been sending him, he supposed that he was doing a pretty shoddy job of it. He supposed that he shouldn't be that surprised by this, Hermione had always been able to tell when he was feeling a bit down.

There were two methods of experiencing the memory, on was when you were _inside_ the projection of yourself, re-living the memory, and another was where you were an observer. There was one particular memory from his childhood that had caught his attention. It was during one of the Harry Hunting games that Dudley was so fond of. Experiencing the memory, he had a new perspective on what had occurred. He hadn't Apparated away. There was no feeling of being squeezed through a pipe that Apparation was associated with, all that the younger Harry had felt was a change of scenery. Looking at it as an observer, Harry saw that his body had been briefly covered in bright green smoke from where he lay hiding, and then at the same time that he had vanished, he had re-appeared with the same green smoke at the top of the roof of the school building.

Harry had asked Perenelle if she knew anything about this apparently new form of travel, but she had replied negatively. She had asked him for that particular memory though, and asked Harry to work on it in his free time. Harry, who had trouble sleeping lately, had welcomed this new distraction whole-heartedly.

He had re-visited the memory numerous times, trying to re-create the same feeling, trying his hardest to feel for the nature, shape and amount of magic that he had used to get out, but the results were not forthcoming. He had kept this secret from Hermione as well, intending to surprise her after he had accomplished this.

(Break)

"Dammit!" Harry growled, echoed by the thundering noise of something huge crashing down on the floor, as his Levitation Spell on the huge chunk of rock failed yet again. He was having difficulty concentrating on keeping his spell going. He was feeling tired, he was feeling frustrated, and that was making him angry. And anger didn't help him in controlling his spells.

He sighed wearily, and sank down on the grass of the Training Room. He closed his eyes, calming his thoughts.

"Harry? Everything alright?" Perenelle asked, walking towards him from where she was observing the three teens in their observation.

"I'm gonna be alright. Just need a few minutes to calm myself." Harry said wearily, rubbing his forehead.

Perenelle watched him silently. Harry appeared to be a mess. There were no outward signs of anything wrong, but she had picked up on the tiredness, and weariness shining in his eyes. She walked over to him, and sitting beside him, gently placed her hand on his shoulder.

"You don't need to work so hard Harry. There will be time to pursue watching the memories I gave you later. You will have time for that at Hogwarts, Summer time is the only vacation that you get. " Perenelle whispered softly, correctly guessing the reason for his tiredness.

Harry winced.

"He's out there Professor. I can't be sure how much time we have before he comes after me again. I have survived on sheer luck on my part, and arrogance on Voldemort's. I refuse to be unprepared for the next time." Harry said softly, aware that Hermione was just as capable of hearing soft voices as he was.

"You aren't alone in this Harry. Me and Albus will be there as well, and so will Hermione and Daphne as soon as they are prepared." Perenelle said whispering.

Harry closed his eyes and turned away.

"Get some sleep Harry, you need it. I'm giving you the next day off. Have some fun. You have deserved it." Perenelle said.

"I can't."

"Why not?" Perenelle asked.

"I have unpleasant dreams." Harry mumbled.

'_So that's it._' "Harry, I'll put you in a magically induced sleep, It's not advisable, but I think that it is necessary in this case. You can't go on like this." Perenelle said.

Harry just nodded his head slowly. Perenelle softly tapped his head with her wand, a blue hue covering her wand and Harry promptly fell asleep. She shifted him into a more comfortable position, gazing at him a bit sadly and walked over to the two girls.

"What happened to Harry, Professor? Is everything alright?" Hermione asked dropping her own slab on the ground gently and walking towards her.

"He is just a bit stressed, and I think that he hasn't been sleeping well. I placed him under an artificial sleep, wake him up by dinner. Just tap your wand against his forehead and use the Enervate Spell on him." Perenelle said.

Hermione bit her lip in thought. She had noticed that there was something off about Harry these last few days, but had given him his space knowing that pushing him for information would only anger him. Looking at him now, she wished she had tried harder.

"Do you know why?" Hermione asked.

"You'll have to ask him yourself. I don't think he would appreciate me telling you about it." Perenelle said firmly. She didn't know Harry as well as Hermione, but she knew that he valued trust. He didn't trust easily, but once you had his trust and did something to break it, it would be pretty hard to regain it back.

Hermione nodded, fully intent on finding out what was plaguing her best friend. Daphne just observed the goings on silently.

She was shocked by how powerful Hermione seemed to have become this summer. She had always thought that she and Hermione were pretty close in terms of power, but she could barely last half the time for which Hermione could keep her block levitated. It was slightly disheartening. She had been curious to see Harry's power but he had lasted for an even lesser time than Hermione had. Hearing about his condition from the Professor, she figured that this wasn't Harry's usual standards.

(Break)

"So how are we supposed to do this?" Daphne asked Hermione. They were finished with the day's training, and were standing near Harry's sleeping form, pondering how to best take him home.

"This is quite weird you know, Harry is one of the lightest sleepers I have ever met. He always wakes up at the slightest of sounds." Hermione said gazing to her heart's content at Harry's sleeping visage.

Daphne glanced at Hermione and rolled her eyes. "Focus Hermione, he will be sleeping like this till dinner. You can admire his sleeping form later."

Hermione squawked her refusal. After a bit of thought, she motioned Daphne to pick up one of Harry's arms and she picked up the other arm. She held the Portkey such that all three of them were touching it, and were whisked away as she said the activation phrase.

The three landed in the middle of the room in a tangle of limbs, and groaned slightly as they got up. Hermione's mother, who was staying at home today, peeked her head behind the couch and raised her eyebrows at the two girls. Catching sight of Harry's unconscious form, she grew worried and made her way towards them.

"Is everything alright?" Emma asked glancing at Harry.

"Peachy, mum. Harry's just asleep." Hermione replied.

Emma nodded and made her way back to the couch. Hermione and Daphne navigated Harry to his room and placed him on the bed.

(Break)

Hermione opened her eyes slowly, finished with her Occlumency practice for the day. She looked around, and glanced down at Harry who was sitting on the floor and still in the middle of his practice. She watched as his face shifted through various emotions, a smile here, a grimace there. Her mind was still going through various approaches that she could take to bring up Harry's tiredness. She wanted to know if it was something that she could help him with.

She waited for Harry to finish, her mind flickering over various topics. Daphne's inclusion into the Order was both a relief and a source of worry for her. Relief, that she would have no problems from the Greengrass Family anymore on the legal front, and worry over the fact that she was involved at all. There was also a bit of a selfish worry about her finding out about her and Harry's Vampirism.

After her mind pondered over various inconsequential things, her mind wandered over things that she had been thinking about a lot recently. She _wanted_ Harry. She wanted him to hold her, to kiss her, to _bite_ her and never let go. Every time she was around him, she would find herself feeling a longing in her heart.

She had always had confidence issues about her appearance, but they had been put to rest by her turning. She could honestly say that she had confidence in her appearance. She couldn't count the number of times she had heard Parvati and Lavender talk about the number of ways that they could seduce boys. She wouldn't ever admit it, not even under the pain of death, but she had taken down various points herself numerous times. She never let them find out about it of course.

The problem was, Harry wasn't a normal teenaged boy. Even before his Vampirism, he was socially and emotionally stunted. He didn't react well to touches and hugs from unknown people, and would become rigid, just like the first time she had hugged him, back in First Year. She had been the first one to ever give him a hug, she hadn't believed him at first, but the honest surprise coupled with his awkwardness were enough to tell her that he was telling the truth. Ever since then, she had made an effort to make him comfortable receiving hugs, even if it was just from her. She had just been helping her friend, her first ever friend, but now she was kind of glad that she was the only one that Harry was comfortable around.

Things had gotten better after their First year, either that, or Harry had gotten better at hiding his hesitance. She wished he would open up more. These past few weeks, she couldn't help but notice that Harry was being very comfortable around her; he had even initiated hugs with her. She always felt that those hugs were more special than the ones she gave him.

She couldn't very well point out the exact time that her platonic feelings for Harry had changed, but she would always remember the concerned and exhilarated expression on his face when she had opened her eyes after being un-petrified. It was the one memory that she had taken pleasure in experiencing more than once.

She felt her cheeks heating up as she thought about what she had been experiencing almost every night since being turned. The absolute bliss that she felt when Harry bit her was something that was quickly becoming the highlight of her days. And those feelings had opened a whole new can of worms. She wanted more, so _much_ more. Feeling herself getting a bit hot under her collar, she quickly distracted herself from that train of thought. She flopped down on the bed, and put Harry's pillow over her face to hide her flushing face. She immediately lifted it off her face, realizing her mistake. The pillow had the distinctive musky smell of Harry. She felt like a bit of a pervert, realizing that she remembered Harry's scent as well.

'_Merlin! What am I supposed to do?_' Hermione thought to herself. She glanced at Harry again, and seeing that he still wasn't finished with his practice, she slid off the bed and made her way upstairs towards Daphne's room, intending to see if she needed any help. She knocked on the door once, and entered to see that Daphne was already asleep. '_Well, it was her first day. She looked pretty exhausted by the end of it._'

With nothing else to do, she silently made her way back to Harry's room. Her eyes caught a faint glimmer coming from Harry's slightly opened cupboard. Her curiosity rising, she opened the cupboard and peered at the object that was emitting a faint glow. It was like a shallow basin, odd carvings and runes covered throughout its circumference. Hermione peered curiously into the basin and was surprised to see a watery/gel like white substance floating lazily inside it. As she looked closer at the white substance, she realized that she was looking at a Pensieve. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, as she wondered what was Harry doing with such an Artifact.

"Hermione? What are you doing?" came Harry's voice.

Hermione made a squeaking voice as she jumped, and whirled around. She saw that Harry was looking at her a demanding expression on his face.

"I was getting bored, you were taking too long." Hermione tried explaining why she was burrowing around in Harry's cupboard.

"This is a Pensieve isn't it? Where'd you get it?" Hermione asked excitedly.

Harry sighed. He might as well tell her now; she was bound to have found out sooner or later. And he thought that getting her opinion on some of the things he was pondering over would, make it easier for him to analyze the memories.

"I asked Professor to get me one. I also asked her to give me all the memories that she had stored that had information about the last war." Harry said guardedly, looking closely at Hermione to gauge her reaction.

"Oh. Why did you need the memories Harry? Is this the reason why you have been so tired recently?" Hermione asked. It was the best explanation that her mind could come up with.

"That's one of the reasons." Harry responded.

"But why are you doing this? Those memories certainly can't be pleasant." Hermione enquired.

"I need to know what we are up against Hermione. Watching the Death Eaters fighting against the previous Order members, and Voldemort's own dueling capabilities can only help me gain a better understanding about what needs to be done." Harry said, clenching his fists tightly.

"But . . ." Hermione trailed off. She wasn't that surprised really. This Harry was someone that she had seen twice in her life. Once when they had went after the Philosopher's Stone in their First year, and the second time when they had traveled back in time to free Sirius almost a month ago. He didn't linger on with facts, he jumped to outrageous conclusions that later turned out to be perfectly accurate. It was one of the many things that she admired about him. She smiled proudly at her friend.

"I understand. Is there something that I can help you with?" Hermione asked.

Harry was a bit startled at Hermione's acceptance. " Just like that . . .?"

"Honestly Harry, must you do this every time? I have already said that I will help you in any way possible. If you think that this will help, then I will do my best." Hermione said determinedly

Harry was hit with a surge of affection towards Hermione. He walked the few steps that separated them and gathered her in a hug, holding on to her tightly. Bringing his head down a bit, so that his mouth was near her ear, he softly whispered his thanks. Hermione tightened her arms around him at that, thankful that Harry couldn't see her glowing face.

"You're welcome." Hermione breathed. _'Damn! I have got to keep myself under control.' _Her mind knew that she was in trouble, but her arms refused to leave Harry's strong embrace. Surrendering her control, she leant her head on Harry's defined chest.

Eventually, Harry broke the embrace, a bit flushed. Hermione's . . . uh . . .chest was a lot bigger than before, and was smashed against his upper stomach. He got out of the embrace before he 'rose up' to the pleasant feeling.

"Thank you for understanding Hermione, I thought that you would freak out and begin shouting at me." Harry said.

"I never shout at you Harry!" Hermione huffed.

At Harry's deadpan look, she relented. "Not without reason anyway."

"What took you so long with your Occlumency anyway? I was finished much before you were." Hermione asked.

"I finally finished sorting my memories. I have to say, it feels amazing to have such a clear head. No random thoughts at all." Harry said. And it did feel amazing, coupled with the sleep that he had gotten today, Harry felt much better than he had ever felt.

"I know. My concentration has never been so good before." Hermione replied excitedly.

Harry simply nodded. He had always thought that Hermione's concentration was a stuff of legends, any improvement upon that was a scary thought.

(Break)

Harry watched a bit confused as he saw Hermione leave. He just couldn't figure out why Hermione was affected by his bites thus, he figured that he was taking a bit too much and Hermione was being polite by not telling him, but even on the days that he made sure to take the bare minimum, her reaction had been the same. His nose twitched as a new scent wafted across it, almost instantly, his desires that primarily featured Hermione with a bit of a guest appearance by Tonks came to mind. He shook his head violently. '_What's wrong with me?'_

Hoping that getting some fresh air would help clear his thoughts, he made his way towards the roof of the Granger household.

(Break)

Hermione's body was still tingling with pleasure as she made her way to her room. They had talked a bit about Harry's progress in the Ancient Runes study and she was very, very impressed by his progress. At the rate at which he was progressing he was on track to finish the whole years' worth of study in a mere two weeks of study. She had a feeling that Harry was a natural at Runes.

As she closed her bedroom door, she glanced at her bed and then the bathroom. Seemingly making a decision, she locked her door and made her way to her bed. Although Harry's bites usually took care of her libido, she felt as if she needed a bit more to take her off the edge today.

**WARNING LIME**

Hermione took off the T-shirt that she was wearing as she moved towards her bed. Sitting down on her bed, she removed her skirt and flung it away from her in her haste. Placing her comforter on one side of the bed, she unclasped her bra and flung that as well, uncaring of the mess that she was making.

Laying down on her pillow, she slowly snaked her hands towards her throbbing womanhod. Slowly, teasingly, she ghosted her hand under her cotton panties, over her baby smooth mound and brought her other hand to gently cup her left breast. She gently traced her pink nipples, and gently pinched them till they were protruding outwards almost painfully hard.

She teased her gushing slit with repeated to and from motions and closed her eyes in pleasure. She continued like this for a few seconds before realizing that her panties were in the way, restricting her motions. Stopping her self teasing, she lifted her hips off the bed and took them off hastily and brought her hand up to her mouth and licked her fingers, tasting herself. Imagining that it was Harry that was the one tasting her, she let out a doleful moan. Continuing with her fantasy, she imagined it was Harry that was teasing her womanhood.

Her toes curled into the bed sheet as she lightly pinched her engorged clit, muffling her moan with her unoccupied finger. She silently cursed her inability to cast magic in her house; she would do anything to cast a Silencing Charm on her room right now. She shifted herself such that her head was buried in her pillow, her right hand still working on her clit. She felt her arousal rising as she brought up her knees under her, spreading them evenly such that her breasts were barely touching her bed, her nipples brushing against her sheets pleasurably.

She felt around her opening, and suddenly thrust one finger into her pussy, moaning loudly at he accompanied pleasure. She repeated the thrusting motions, imagining it was Harry behind her and the thrusting member was a lot thicker and longer than her finger.

"Aah. . . .mmmfh, r-right there. . ..faster." Hermione whispered breathlessly into her pillow as she increased the pace of her thrusting. The knot that was building steadily ever since she had started, tightened, and she began brushing her fingers over her clit, her body and mind aching to feel that sweet release.

"Emmm. . .ahhnn. . . H-Harryy . . ..mmm . .. .harder." Hermione moaned out, her mind incapable of differentiating between her fantasy and reality. The speed of her thrusts increased, another finger finding its way into her slick channel. She felt her orgasm approaching, and almost thoughtlessly, brought up her second hand that was under her pillow, and pinched her clit.

Hermione's mind exploded, as her orgasm rushed through her violently, her juices, exploding through her fingers that remained buried in her channel. Her back arched as her knees slid sideways on the bed, her body falling down gently on her hand. She lifted her head up from her pillow, taking in huge gulps of air. She could hear her racing heart, and brought her hand out from under her.

She couldn't even contemplate taking a bath, or even moving from her position right now. She tiredly set her alarm to wake her up an hour early, to take care of the mess that she had made tonight, and closed her eyes blissfully.

"_Goodnight Harry, . . . _MySire_ . . ."_

(Chapter End)

A/N:- A quick update for all you guys. . . I hope you enjoyed this Chapter. This was my first time writing anything erotic and I would like to know if It was decent enough . . . . Please Review your thoughts.


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter

**Warnings: **Violence , and Mature Themes.

**Chapter 25**

Hermione stretched languidly as she woke up from her sleep, and turned-off her alarm. Looking around her room, she sighed as she took in the state of her bedroom. Waking up a bit, she smiled as she remembered the events of last night. She quickly began picking up her things and got ready for the day. It was tedious work, but she didn't regret her actions one bit.

She had a goal now. Last night's actions had made it very clear what she had to do about her intense attraction to Harry. He was her Sire, and she would protect his happiness and his welfare with all the power that she could. She had been struggling with her shift in perception ever since she had woken up after being turned and it had taken her this long to realize that it would make it easier on her and the happiest if she weren't fighting with her instincts. But before she went to Harry with her resolute feelings, she needed to talk to Perenelle. As she figured, it would be better for her and Harry if she got all the facts before she even talked to Harry about it.

Harry wasn't going to be there today, and she would make sure to take advantage of that fact.

(Break)

Harry was totally, absolutely bored. It came as quite a surprise to him that even with the relatively short time that he had been training, he felt that he was missing something important. Try as he might he couldn't shake off the weird feeling. Hermione and Daphne had already left for today's training and Harry didn't really know what he was supposed to do to relax.

Flying calmed him down, but that was not possible in broad daylight. That was it really, he didn't have any other activities that calmed him down. It was a little disconcerting for him that he had so few hobbies.

He really needed a hobby.

"*You could spend the day with me. I always looked forward to the summer, even if your relatives are horrible, you would always chat all day with me. I miss that.*" Hedwig trilled a longing tune.

Harry looked over at his Phoenix, Hedwig. It was true that he hadn't been spending as much time as he used to with her. Harry got up from the bed, and walking over to Hedwig's perch, he stroked her soft feathers lovingly.

"I'm really sorry that you feel that way, Hedwig. I promise, I'll try harder."

"*It's not your fault Harry. You have too much work to do.*" Hedwig replied pleasantly. Harry's fingers felt nice on her plumage.

"Nevertheless, we have this great opportunity. Let's make the best of it shall we?" Harry asked her smilingly.

They conversed for over an hour, before Harry reluctantly brought up a topic that he hadn't told another soul about.

"Hedwig? What are your thoughts about Hermione?" Harry asked.

Hedwig took her time in answering her question. Harry wasn't surprised by this, even earlier, Hedwig would sometimes pause before nodding her head of hooting her verdict.

"* Hermione's a very bright girl. Very studious.*"

"And . . .?"

"*What is it that is troubling you Harry?*"

Harry released a nervous breath and told Hedwig about the feelings that he was having about Hermione. He felt comfortable talking freely about it to Hedwig, it was only helped by the fact that Hedwig wouldn't tell another soul about it.

"* The only advice that I can give you is that you shouldn't work against your instincts. It will only hinder you in the long run.*"

Harry shook his head. This was not what he wanted to hear.

He and Hedwig were distracted from their conversation by the absurdly loud tapping of the sole window in the room. Unnoticed by Harry, his wand, lying on the bedside table immediately jumped into his hands, and he pointed his wand at the window. His grip slackened, the same time his jaw did, as he caught sight of the creature that was flapping its ridiculously colorful wings. Harry spied a letter tied to the creature's claws.

He walked over to the window and opened it warily, mindful of the sharp talons that the agitated bird sported. Hedwig gave a disapproving trill, and the bird immediately stilled.

"*Much better.*"

Harry gave a curious glance at Hedwig, and she answered his unspoken question, a hint of pride entering her soft tone

"* I am the most coveted and powerful of the avian races, Harry. Every avian creature has that sense ingrained in them.*"

Harry smiled as he retrieved the attached letter; Hedwig was truly a unique familiar.

Harry was surprised to see that the letter was from Sirius. He walked away and placed the letter on the table and looked expectantly at Hedwig. Hedwig, understanding what Harry wanted of her, flew down from her perch and landed on the letter. She trilled her response, and Harry sighed as he picked up the letter.

He was getting really paranoid. He had seen the number of times that Voldemort's minions had used a letter as a medium to abduct or harm their targets.

Even though he had faced Voldemort before, he hadn't truly known what exactly he was capable of in a fight. He knew now. They say that Knowledge is a burden, and Harry was beginning to agree. As he worked tirelessly, scouring the tomes in the Department's Library, he would find his questions answered, but the answers would be replaced by an even greater number of questions. The mere thought that Voldemort had over 56 years of getting his questions answered, was chilling and at the same time disheartening.

He was brought out of his dark mood by Hedwig's uplifting trill.

Giving Hedwig a grateful look, Harry turned his attention towards the letter that he had received. Opening the envelop, he couldn't help but feel a bit foolish for his actions. It was a letter from Sirius.

_Hey Harry,_

_How are you doing? Are the Dursleys treating you any better? Did you have the opportunity to wave the fake timepiece in their faces? Ah well, I suppose it doesn't really matter. Judging by the fearful looks that they were throwing at me, I don't think they will trouble you for long._

_I was just writing to know if you have had the opportunity to visit Gringotts about the state of Potter Manor and about your Emancipation. I haven't had any contact with the Wizarding world for a long time, so I haven't heard anything about it. _

_I think I finally gave the Dementors a slip. Haven't felt them for nearly two weeks. I think I might venture out and meet up with Remus. I wrote to him to meet up with me somewhere. Don't hesitate to contact me if you need anything Harry._

_Sirius._

Unbidden, Harry's thoughts wandered to the very recent memory of him asking to let Pettigrew live, stating that his parents wouldn't have wanted Sirius to commit cold-blooded murder. Now, he couldn't help but think that it would have made things so very easy for Sirius if he had just kept his mouth shut. Thinking back, he had been more worried to witness a murder committed in front of him, than for his Godfather's conscience. He had been selfish and his Godfather was reaping the fallout.

Such thoughts plagued his mind as he penned his reply to his Godfather, saying that all had gone well at Gringotts and that Potter Manor would be ready within two weeks. Tying his reply to the odd bird, Harry watched as it went out of his eyesight after a few minutes.

Determination filled his being and he walked purposefully towards his wardrobe. Bending down, he carefully brought out the sole trunk that he had taken from the Potter Vault and opened it. Items lay scattered haphazardly in the trunk and spotting a journal, he slowly reached out his hand and opened it.

It was his mother's journal, detailing the project that she had told him about. So it was true, he really did meet his parents. Eyes stinging, he walked over to the bed and began reading.

'_Application of Wards' – Lily Evans._

_Wards are often used to protect a large area against a variety of things. Runestones are the most popular things used to tie a ward together, normal stones can be used but it would be only a temporary fixture. Runestones directly tap into the Magical Ley lines running throughout the globe, making them perfect focuses for carving the appropriate runes._

_What I have attempted to find out is whether wards can be used without stones altogether. If that necessity would be terminated, wards can be constructed practically anywhere. What is to stop from a person to construct a ward around any number of small things that she wants to protect, what's to stop them from using wards in a duel, what's to stop a person from weaving a ward around himself . . ._

Harry read on engrossed in his mother's research, the same research that had been ridiculed by many, and taken humorously by his father. Harry promised to himself that he would see his mother's research through . . . he had found a new hobby to occupy his time.

-X-

'_They would make a good team._' Perenelle thought as she unobtrusively observed Hermione and Daphne take their shot at the Training Range. Hermione tended to favor Defence in her spell choices and Daphne was the exact opposite. She had thought that Hermione and Harry would make a good team, but everything that she had been told about Harry was slowly but steadily changing, and with the recruitment of Daphne, she had more operatives to work with.

The sole reason that she had agreed to take on Daphne was because she fit in perfectly. Practically orphaned, no relatives to speak of, she would make a good operative. The sole concern would be if she went down the path of revenge, seeking vengeance against her parents.

'_I'll deal with that if it becomes a problem._' She thought as she silently made her way towards the two girls. She smiled in amusement at the thoroughly surprised looks on the two girl's faces. Harry had stopped being surprised by her random appearances recently, and she could confess to herself that she was surprised. Seriously, that boy spoilt all her fun.

-X-

Hermione had told Perenelle that she had wanted to ask her something, and she had smiled and told her to come to her office once she was done for the day. To be honest, Hermione was a little relieved. This would be the first time that she would be talking to her without Harry nearby. Without Harry's presence, Hermione was a little intimidated by the powerful witch. She had read all about it, it was speculated that a powerful wizard or witch exuded an aura about their surroundings that simultaneously acted as a warning to their enemies and as a comforting presence to their loved ones. While she wasn't feeling threatened, she didn't feel comfortable. She wondered how Harry seemed to handle it effortlessly. She doubted if he was even aware of it.

Squaring her shoulders, Hermione thought about entering the office and walked through the door that opened to her right.

Exchanging pleasantries, and after talking a bit about the training today, Hermione fidgeted in her seat.

"So what's bothering you Hermione?" Perenelle asked curiously.

Hermione took a deep breath and in a small voice asked, "What can you tell me about a Vampire's mate?"

Perenelle looked at Hermione speculatively and after observing her nervous form for a moment began her explanation.

"First of all, you have to be aware of the fact that Vampires rarely pick a Mate, or a Blood-Mate if you will. I presume that you are aware of the very rare phenomenon that sometimes occurs between two magical folk?" Perenelle asked referring to the Soul Bond that some select Witches and Wizards share. At Hermione's nod, she continued.

"Well, when Vampires choose to take a mate or mates, as the case might be, they perform a ritual that binds them together forever. It's not to be taken lightly as Vampires have a very long lifespan, so we don't take the decision lightly." Perenelle said.

Hermione nodded to herself, and asked a question that had risen in her mind.

"What do you mean mates? As in more than one . . .?" Hermione asked.

Perenelle paused as she weighed the best possible way to explain her earlier statement. She wasn't sure if Hermione was ready to hear her next words. She didn't think she was. Hermione was too idealistic in her opinions, but strangely enough, she would change her viewpoints if it was Harry who was the one who explained things to her.

Perenelle saw the signs, she had seen them the first day that she met Hermione. Hermione was an independent girl, she had her own ambitions, but the most important thing to her was her loyalty to Harry. The only real reason that Hermione had for joining the Order was because Harry was, and Perenelle had no objections to it. As long as Harry was a part of the Order, Hermione would as well.

"You have to understand something about Vampires before I get to that." Perenelle said at length. Receiving Hermione's curious nod, she continued.

"Vampires are creatures of instinct, and those instincts are more animalistic than human. Powerful Vampires feel the need to have multiple mates, and usually the mates are powerful as well. It works both ways, if the female is the more dominant one in the relationship, she will have multiple mates, male or female, depending on their preferences. The same is true for males as well." Perenelle paused, before continuing on.

"Looking at it from an objective point of view, the more powerful a Vampire is, the more mates they have. Now, some Vampires prefer to have a single Blood-Mate, and just have trysts with other partners to satiate their instincts and desires. Vampires are much more similar to Veela in that regard, than to any other creature."

"So, Harry . . .?"

"It might be possible, or may not. He is still young, but after his birthday, his maturity, we may notice a change in his desires." Perenelle answered Hermione's unfinished question.

Hermione bit her lip in thought. She had read about Veela while researching about the Basilisk during her second year. They were creatures of passion, a modern day seductress. The book had described that they had taken advantage of their beauty to coerce their way into many victories. That had been true in the ages after the time of the founders. Their reputation had increased since then, and now they were considered as normal humans in many magical communities across the globe.

"How similar are we to a Veela?" Hermione asked Perenelle, making sure that she got her facts right.

"Well, the most prominent similarity would be the beauty of both races. Their vanity. You will notice that even though you get stronger with your training, your body will never change much from its current appearance. The only thing that will change, will come with age. Vampires shape their bodies according to what they think would appear appealing to the opposite sex. The next similarity would be the Veela's Allure. While a Vampire's Allure is not as strong, it is there. The both of you haven't manifested them yet, and when you do, I will have to teach you how to control, and take advantage of them." Perenelle replied.

Hermione sat back in the chair in contemplative silence. The explanation Perenelle provided helped her a little, but it still didn't explain the things to her clearly. Was she just reacting to Harry because he was a boy, or did it have to do something with him being her Sire. She looked up to see Perenelle's blank expression and came to the decision that she didn't want to ask her about that. She could figure it out from the new information that she had received. After a few moments, she got up and started to leave, absently thanking her. She paused, just as she reached her hand out to open the door.

"Why didn't you tell us about this earlier?" Hermione asked.

Perenelle didn't answer at first, but when Hermione gave her an accusing look, she replied. "I was a little . . .uncomfortable about informing you about these things. You are still young, and more importantly, you haven't been brought up as a Vampire your whole life. I just thought that it would be easier for you to accept yourself if I didn't tell you."

The only answer she received was the sound of her closing office door.

-X-

Pettigrew walked, holding his Master nervously in his arms, as he directed him towards a house that belonged to a very important Ministry Official. He didn't dare ask for the reason for the visit, knowing that he would incur his Master's anger.

Taking out his own wand, he performed the spells that his Master had taught him, and would allow them to acess the house, despite the impressive set of Wards that protected it. The enchantments wouldn't hold, and by morning, no one would know that the Wards had even been breached. He uttered the spells, his voice stuttering with the unfamiliar spells.

Voldemort growled inwardly at the rat's incompetence. He couldn't even perform his job silently, after all the time that he had spent teaching him. It wasn't the most pleasant thing, but it had been necessary. If he were get back his body, and more importantly, secure his anchors, he would need a servant that was more competent in the usage of magic.

Voldemort smirked as he felt the spells take hold, and Pettigrew take him inside the Ward's boundaries. Yes, tonight, tonight he could finally begin his plans for his resurrection. Tonight would mark the beginning of a new era.

-X-

Nymphadora Tonks was not happy. She didn't know how many weeks it had been since she had an evening to herself. Thinking that t had been a long time since she had gone out, she had accepted a colleague's proposal to meet up at a popular bar. There were 5 of them, two women and three guys. She had immediately regretted her decision to accompany them. She was getting immensely annoyed by the suave (according to him), guy that was attempting to sweet talk her. Rick Thornvale was a recruit, the same as her, and was admittedly the most popular guy at the Auror dept.

It wasn't like she didn't want to date somebody; it would make sense to date him. He was cute, funny, popular, but most importantly, a gentle man, and honest in his views. He was involved in the same line of work as her, and would understand her frustrations better than anyone else.

The problem?

She hadn't been able to concentrate on his words ever since she had sat down at the table, and her mind was free to wander. And her mind wandered towards the same line of thought that her mind had taken her every night, ever since she had met Harry this summer.

She nodded, picked up her drink and took a huge gulp, and laughed absently when she heard everyone at the table laugh loudly. It would seem that someone had cracked some sort of a joke.

Lately, she often wondered what he might be doing at the moment, at various times during the day. She was confused as to why she had been thinking so much about him lately. But, to be fair, he had given her information that had given her a lot to think about.

"Tonks? Tonks!"

"Eh? Er . . .yeah?" she asked as she was dragged out of her thoughts.

The people at the table gave her some weird looks, but Tonks couldn't bring herself to care. They weren't her friends, just co-workers, and comrades in arms.

"I was wondering if you were free tomorrow night?" Rick asked her, a charming smile on his face. Tonks looked at the rest of her company, and caught sight of the jealous look the other woman was shooting at her.

"I'm sorry Rick, but I don't think that I will be free anytime soon. It's a surprise that I even got any free time today." Tonks responded disinterestedly. She got up, feigned a weary, drunk expression, and told them that she wasn't feeling so well. She brushed off the concerned looks, and left the bar. She didn't mean to be rude, but she had a lot on her mind.

If she had looked back, she might have noticed the furious look that Rick directed at her.

Arriving back at her apartment, she busied herself going over some of the cases that she had worked on. She hadn't ignored Harry's warning about the Dark Lord, and had already taken measures to protect herself better. Looking at the time, and the late hour, she got ready for bed. Slipping under her covers, she caught sight of the calendar with a single day glowing brightly.

31st July.

It was only two weeks until Harry's birthday.

Thinking about the type of gift that she could get him, she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

(Chapter End)

A/N:- Sorry about the lateness of the chapter . . . had some problems that cropped up regarding my net. Anyway, I would like to hear what the readers thought about this chapter . . .I had a little trouble conveying what I wanted to . . . but I think I managed . . . somewhat.

And also, Happy Valentine's Day ;-) (Only for the girls though ^o^)

Review your thoughts . . .


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter

**Warnings: **Violence , Gore and Lemons(Much Later)

**Chapter**** 26**

_Harry found himself at Hogwarts. It was summer and the grounds were flourishing with greenery and the sun was high up in the sky. Harry looked around, and thought it was quite odd that there wasn't anyone else outside._

"_You're dreaming." Came a voice that sounded surprisingly like his own._

_Harry turned around and was surprised to see himself, looking at him intensely. Harry groaned. 'Not again!'_

"_How've you been?" asked the alter._

"_Like you don't know. You're a representation of my subconscious, you know everything I do." Harry replied starkly._

_Alter smirked. "And do you know why your mind is pulling me out of the depths you buried me and your talents into?"_

_Harry didn't acknowledge that question with an answer._

"_You know don't you? You need your talents, you need to stop holding yourself back!" Alter said forcefully._

"_It's not normal! I don't want a repeat of what happened to me first year."_

"_You were the one who decided to stop hiding! You promised Hermione that you would do so!"_

"_Why are you asking me this? I know all this already Damnit!"_

"_So why are you acting the same way as you have been, continually ignoring things that concern you! Look how that ended up."_

"_Stop . . ." Harry whispered warningly._

"_You chose to let Pettigrew live, even though your instincts told you that it wasn't going to end well . . . you ignored the serpentine nature of the voices that you heard in your second year . . . and who was the one who paid the price? . . . Sirius is still on the run . . . and Hermione-" Alter couldn't finish his statement as Harry flung out his left hand at him, sending him flying away._

"_DON'T __**EVER**__ GO THERE!" Harry thundered, his eyes glowing dangerously, his hand still directed at Alter's form threatingly._

"_YOU NEED TO FACE THE FACTS! YOU NEED TO TAKE CONTROL!"_

Harry woke up abruptly, stifling his gasping breaths. Organizing his memories by his progress in Occlumency had put a stop to his nightmares, but a new problem had sprung up. His mind had made up it's mind that it wasn't doing enough, and took every chance to shove his errors in his face.

Harry knew that he wasn't normal . . . even by Wizarding standards. His Vampirism was another thing that had him even further placed away from others. He had decided right after his first year that it would be better for him if he was to hide his capabilities. He had been scared. Scared of what he might become. Scared of losing his friends. So he had changed himself, made himself as normal as could be allowed. He had slipped a few times, but he was sure that they wouldn't have any consequences.

He couldn't let himself continue this way. He needed to exert himself again.

-X-

Hermione cast a contemplative glance at Harry, tucking a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. The three teens were lounging around in the hall, after another morning of training. They were to begin in their Dueling training soon, and Hermione was excited to finally find out how the spells that she had been researching up until now stacked up against the others. She had a basic idea of what Harry had been studying, but not anything more. It was much more basic than she had come to expect from Harry. Judging by Harry's . . . acquired fondness for theatrics, she had thought that he would have chosen some of the more flashy spells.

And from the glimpse of the spells that Daphne had used in training, and what she knew of her character, Daphne would cover spells that caused pain. A lot of pain. Hermione herself had thought about it objectively. She had made a list of all the top duellers in the Magical World, studied their techniques, and adopted whatever she thought would suit her best. She had chosen a very defensive style of Duelling. She hoped that her ideas weren't completely wrong.

Glancing again at Harry, she was a bit confused at his recent behaviour. It had been nearly a week since her talk with Perenelle, and she still hadn't got the courage to tell Harry about her feelings. She had considered asking her mum for advice, but given the recent revelation, she didn't think that that talk would go over too well. And this was further complicated by Harry's odd behaviour.

He hadn't touched a book all week.

Now this wouldn't have surprised her before this summer, maybe a little, but not so much that she would be worried. He still sat with them, but she often caught him staring off blindly. He was obviously thinking about something. And not knowing about what he was worried about, worried her.

**-X-**

"Duelling, as per Official rules, means squat in a war." Perenelle started. "In an Official duel, there are a myriad of rules, and just as many types. It might be an Honour Duel, or a duel to settle a Blood Feud, or anything under the sun. In war, it's pretty simple. Kill or be Killed." Perenelle finished. She noted that Harry shifted slightly at that statement.

"That is a fact that you have to get used to. Now, I will not be training you to be a murderer, but to make the right choice when an opportunity presents itself. Many of the Aurors of Law Enforcement quit altogether, or opt for a desk job after they have claimed their first kill. But there are others that grow stronger from it, it hardens them. Motivates them to make themselves better to avoid a repeat of the situation." Perenelle said. It was really hard for her to do. Hermione and Daphne were looking pale, but she admired them for the fact that they hadn't bolted. They had potential.

Harry clenched his fists tightly, a prickling feeling of pain running up his arm as he tried to block off the images that rose up in his mind.

He wasn't a stranger to Killing, but to be fair, he had only ever taken one life. Professor Quirell. And that was ruled out as self defence, and nearly everyone had forgotten about it. But, Harry knew better. Quirell's death was anything but self defence.

"Hermione, Daphne. You're up first." Perenelle's strict tone brought him out of his musings, as he relaxed his grip.

Harry observed the both of them. The Professor's statement earlier had set them both on edge. This wouldn't end well.

Harry's private thoughts were proven right as both of the participants were too distracted to think straight and were making errors that Harry _knew_ they wouldn't make.

Perenelle pursed her lips, and called out his name and Hermione's. Harry walked up, and as he crossed Daphne, offered her an encouraging smile. She didn't notice it.

"Start!"

Harry flicked his right arm, and his wand jumped into his palm from where it was strapped to his wrist holster. As soon as the wand was in his hands, he intoned.

"**Stupefy!**"

"**Protego!"**

Hermione's shield had no trouble blocking his stunner, and she retaliated with one of her own. Harry stepped slightly to the side, making sure to keep his balance. Loosing balance during a duel was not good. Harry didn't wait as Hermione's stunner sailed past him and cast a Full-Body Bind followed up by another Stunner almost immediately. He saw as Hermione's eyes widened and she jumped to the right.

That action of hers would cost her the duel.

Harry took advantage of her slight delay, and cast another two curses back to back.

"**Augamenti, Glacius."**

Hermione was too surprised by the large amount of gushing water heading straight for her to react, her hearing saturated with the sound of rushing water. She hesitated as she thought of the many different ways that she could counter. So absorbed was she in her thoughts, that she missed the second, Freezing Charm that Harry had cast.

Predictably, Hermione slipped and another Stunner marked the winner of the duel.

"That was . . .nice, actually. Good work, Harry." Perenelle said, an intrigued expression on her face. '_I wonder . . .'_

Harry nodded wordlessly and walked over to Hermione, with a quick '**Ennervate'** Hermione opened her eyes, blinking several times in confusion. Realization seemed to dawn upon her, and she sunk her head low, her expectations and confidence shattered.

"I lost." She whispered.

Harry knew that any words of encouragement that he offered her right now would only deepen her pain, and chose to stay silent. Perenelle had no such qualms. He growled low in his throat at her statement.

"Well, looks like at least someone knows how to handle themselves in a duel. Glad to see that not all of you are useless idiots." Perenelle said haughtily.

"This was her first duel . . .she's bound to make mistakes." Harry defended.

"And? What about you? Isn't this your first duel as well?" Perenelle asked challengingly.

"No. It isn't." Harry responded in a clipped tone.

'_Of course it isn't . . .the real question is. . .how good are you, and why don't you want to show it?'_ Perenelle thought to herself, as the beginnings of a plan started to build up in her mind. She knew that she would have to apologize to Hermione later. She didn't do that bad after all, her shield were good, and her dueling style fit her personality. The only thing she needed to improve upon was her speed, and not over-analyzing which spell to use.

"Harry, Daphne. You're up. Start!"

-X-

Tonks sighed as she looked over at the amount of paperwork that she had been putting off until now. It was one of the perks of being a Trainee, paperwork.

Glancing down at the large amount of forms and reports, Tonks decided that she needed a break. Lifting her cloak from behind her chair, she put it on and walked to the fireplace. With a quick shout of 'Diagon Alley' she disappeared from the office. She still hadn't thought of a gift for Harry's birthday, and there was now only a week left!

She scoured many shops thinking about what she could give to Harry, it was his Maturity, and she wanted to give him something special. She wasn't sure why it was that she was trying so hard, but one thing that she knew was that she wanted to make her place as a friend, in Harry's mind and heart, permanent._  
_

As she walked out of a shop that specialized in custom works, she felt the need to eat and stopped for an ice cream. While eating her blueberry ice cream, with sprinkles, mind you; her mind wandered to the first time that she had met and properly talked to Harry.

Flashback- Harry's First Year

_Tonks slammed the book shut, startling the others at the table she was sitting at in the Hogwarts Library. It had been a month since she had completed her O.W.L's, she had thought that Sixth Year would be relaxing, everyone had said so, and so far, she wasn't convinced._

"_Anything?" one of her friends asked._

_Tonks shook her head negatively, and picked herself up, intending to get another book, from the humungous collection of books stockpiled in the Hogwarts Library. Walking towards the Restricted Section, she caught sight of a relatively short, painfully thin boy. A Gryffindor Firstie, by the looks of it. That was odd, most Gryffindor's preferred to study in their Common Rooms, issuing books that they might need, but more than that, He was a First Year._

_Walking closer, she identified the boy, he was Harry Potter! The Boy-Who-Lived!_

_Tonks looked at him curiously, he was craning his neck, as if trying to catch sight of as many books that he could. It wouldn't help him though, he would need a Permission Slip to acess the Restricted Section, and no Professor would give out those to students before Third Year at the earliest._

"_Hey, what are you searching for?" Tonks asked, holding in her snigger at Harry's startled expression._

"_Um, nothing. Sorry" Harry hastily said, and Tonks watched amusedly as he ran off. Tonks thought that he might have been planning to sneak some of those books off._

-X-

The second time that she had met him, funnily enough had been in the Library again. This time he was accompanied by the Weasley brat. Honestly, Hogwarts had seen too many of them. She still remembered the Star Seeker of the Gryffindor team, back when she was a Firstie. Charlie Weasley had virtually slaughtered the opposition every time he took off on the broom. But, Harry would later come close to almost beating his record, by his Second Year no less. Harry was simply amazing in the air.

"_This is ridiculous. We're never going to be able to accomplish this!" Marie said._

"_Well, Flitwick did say that it was a difficult Charm." Tonks said, turning the page as she read another book that had some theory behind the workings of the Disillusionment Charm. "And, it would really help for my Auror Traning."_

"_Well, I don't want to be an Auror. I want to be a researcher! Why do I have to do it?" Marie whined. Typical Gryffindor._

"_Well, irrespective of what you want, everyone has to pass their N.E.W.T's" Tonks supplied._

"_Come on Marie, let's take a break. We'll come back after. . ." Rick cajoled. Tonks rubbed her eyebrows wearily, Marie's boyfriend didn't want to work at all. All he wanted was to get into her pants. And he wanted to become an Auror!_

"_Yeah." Marie responded with a blush. _

_Tonks rolled her eyes. "Horny bastard." This was why she didn't want a boyfriend._

"_Come on! Harry, we have been here for an hour already, we won't find anything here. We should ask Hagrid, he must know about huge three headed dogs." Came a brat's voice, piquing Tonks curiosity as she heard Harry's name. She looked around and spotted the duo near the Magical Creatures section. _

_She watched as the Weasley brat tried unsuccessfully to distract Harry way from whatever he was doing. Tonks was honestly surprised by the dedication and seriousness that Harry was showing, curious intelligence shining in his eyes. She was surprised when he suddenly looked up from the book in his hands and looked directly at her. She hastily looked down, and it was only after she did so that she realized that she shouldn't have to do that. She was his senior, irrespective of him being the Boy-Who-Lived. He should show her respect!_

_By the time she had organized her actions and thought through, she looked up to find that Harry was no longer in the Library and Tonks was left wondering why was it that Harry wanted to know about a Cerberus._

_Well, she could help out a little . . . Harry looked as if he was desperately searching for it. Besides, it felt good to help out a cute Firstie. She walked up, and slipped in a note with the name and description of the Cerberus, in the book that Harry was reading._

-X-

"_It's been a week, and the only progress that any of us has made is turning blurry." Tonks said. She had asked a couple of others if they had made progress with Flitwick's assignment, but her group appeared to be the only ones who had made any progress. _

_Tonks opened up the same book that she was reading last week, figuring that she might have missed something the last time. As she opened the book, she was surprised to see that there was a scroll kept between the pages. Curious, she took out the scroll and began reading it._

Disillusionment Charm- A Charm that is used to hide the magical presence from view.

Incantation- Amittere Fidem

To cast this charm one must visualize the whole object that one intends to hide. It's success depends upon both the caster and the object that we intend to hide. More powerful the object, the harder one must try, sometimes casting particularly loudly might help. Visualize the object in its entirety, and then imagine it not being there. There are some methods written below that might help.

P.s. – Thanks.

_Tonks read the whole note in amazement. She had a pretty good idea who might have written this, but it simply couldn't be possible. Harry was a First Year, this was a Sixth Year charms spell. And the way he had written it, sounded as if he had tried experimenting himself. There were some basic mistakes, particularly the loud casting part. Tonks figured that he might have not known how to vary the amount of magic poured into the spell. But despite the inconsistencies, it proved the fact that Harry was a genius. And if she was right, powerful to boot!_

_She turned towards her friends excitedly, and told them about how she had helped Harry, and what she suspected he had done to repay her help. Their reactions were not what she had expected._

"_The brat's a freak! No child can do this. There must be something wrong with him." Rick hissed as he shoved the scroll away from him in disgust._

_Tonks narrowed her eyes at his action and words. She turned towards Marie, expecting her to scold her boyfriend. She didn't. Tonks scowled._

_Tonks was livid. "You're just jealous because you don't want to admit that a First year can be better than you! I'm done here."_

_Tonks got up from the table, and angrily shoved the table. In her anger, she missed the hurt look on a child's face, who later walked out hurriedly, desperate to keep his composure._

_She never saw Harry visiting the Library alone after that. The little game that she had started had come to an abrupt end._

-X-

_Tonks was not happy. Not at all. Exams had been cancelled! Sure, it might be a cause for celebration for the majority of the school, but she had worked hard the whole year. And the arrogant jerk, Rick would be reaping the rewards. It wasn't fair, she was looking forward to showing him her superiority._

_Huffing, she finished her lunch early, and made her way towards the Black Lake. Hearing the steady rhythm of the waves always calmed down her mind. And if it didn't, antagonizing the Giant Squid was always fun. There was also the rumor that was floating around that Professor Quirell had died last night and somehow, Harry Potter had been involved._

_She hadn't thought about him that much after he had stopped visiting the Library on his own. Nowadays, she always used to see him with a bushy, brown hared girl. He looked happy, and Tonks didn't want to spoil that. She figured that there must be a reason he stopped coming._

_Walking towards the lake, she was pleasantly surprised to see the object of her thoughts chucking stones into the lake, a lost expression on his face. Tonks noticed that he looked lost. She was surprised, for the second time, when he suddenly looked up at her. What was with the kid? Can he sense someone is watching him?_

_She walked closer to him, and sat down beside him._

"_Hey, my name's Tonks. You're Harry right?" She asked with a polite smile on her face. _

_Harry gave her a non-committal nod._

"_Well, I just wanted to thank you for your help with the Disillusionment Charm. I was the only one in class that accomplished it." Tonks spoke._

"_It wasn't me." Harry replied softly._

_Tonks immediately knew that he was lying, she might have believed him if she wasn't sure that it was Harry who had left her the scroll. She figured that he simply didn't want to talk. Well, too bad. She was in the mood to vent._

Tonks smiled fondly as she remembered the bewildered expression on Harry's face after she had spontaneously started ranting and raving about the unfairness of the exams being cancelled. She hadn't expected him to vent out on her as well. Apparently, he had seen Quirell die. She remembered that she had been horrified, and apologized for her thoughtlessness. He had smiled at her, and told her that she had helped. They had spent the rest of the afternoon talking.

She now knew that it wasn't Quirell that Harry had faced, but Voldemort. And he hadn't simply watched him die, he had been partially responsible for his death. She was a little amazed that Harry had handled it so well.

The summer after that, she had written a letter to him, but receiving no response to it, hadn't bothered writing another. She had spent the rest of her summer at an Internship at the DMLE.

Tonks walked into a store that sold enchanted items. She had read somewhere that in the olden days, gifting a watch symbolized a sort of rite of passage. She figured that a person's Maturity was a close enough situation.

"Hello. How may I help you?" Asked the shopkeeper.

"Yes. I am looking for a watch, preferably similar to the muggle ones. Something that will appeal to a 14 year old. . ." Tonks replied as she began looking for any timepieces that stood out to her.

"Ah, shopping for your little brother?"

"No. . . it's for a friend." Tonks responded. She had never considered Harry as being her brother. Little brothers were supposed to be snotty nosed brats that made your life miserable. Harry wasn't anything like that, quite far from that actually.

_Tonks was standing in front of the Infirmary, waiting for Harry to come out. She had been too busy with her N.E.W.T's to talk to Harry after he had apologized to her for not answering her letter. His reason was a bit ambiguous, but Tonks hoped that he wasn't lying to her. _

_When she had heard that Hermione Granger, Harry's friend had been petrified, she had made time to make sure that Harry was alright. Seriously, every time something went wrong at Hogwarts, Harry was somehow involved. She hadn't believed the rumours about Harry being the Heir of Slytherin for a moment. The very idea of Harry attacking another student, just on the ideals of a delusional Founder was ridiculous. Anyone who had made the time to get to know Harry as a person would realize it._

_Tonks straightened her stance as she heard the doors to the Infirmary open. Harry walked out with a furious expression on his face, which soon relaxed as he caught sight of her. Tonks lifted her arm in greeting, and after a while Harry returned her gesture._

"_How you holding up?" Tonks asked._

"_Okay . . .I guess." _

_Tonks frowned. "C'mon, you are bound to be a little angry. Hermione's your friend right?"_

"_Getting angry won't help Hermione get better." Harry responded sadly, releasing a tired sigh. Tonks couldn't come up with a response to that. _

"_Tonks? Do you know of any magical creatures that can petrify people?" Harry asked of her._

_Tonks wracked her brain for an answer, but there were only a few monsters that were capable of totally Petrifying a Witch, and all of them were ruled out owing either to the inhabitable environment of the castle or their extinction. Tonks shook her head negatively. They continued towards the great hall in silence._

"_Tonks, why are there flecks of paint on your robes?" Harry asked her._

_Tonks was thankful for Harry's question. She was beginning to despise the uncomfortable silence, and couldn't think of any way to break it. Nevertheless, she had thought that she had vanished the paint from her robes._

"_Where?"_

"_They are only a few drops on your back." Harry responded embarrassedly._

_Tonks chuckled at his embarrassment, but wondered how he had caught them. He hadn't spent much of his time observing her back. He's highly observant. So far she had gathered that Harry was a highly observant, powerful genius. And that was besides the affable personality that he seemed to slip into whenever there weren't many people present._

"_I was practicing a bit of duelling earlier; I thought I cleaned up everything. Never was much good with household spells." Tonks chuckled embarrassedly._

"_For your Auror Training?" Harry asked curiously._

"_Yeah, how'd you know?" Tonks asked._

"_I . . um, overheard you talking about it last year." Harry responded._

_Tonks brushed off the offence that he had committed by eavesdropping on her, and clarified. "It's okay, and yeah. I was training to make myself better in duelling."_

"_Do you think I could come practice with you? I know I am a bit young, but Lockhart didn't exactly teach us anything worthwhile." Harry asked._

_Tonks snorted, Lockhart was a bit of a joke amongst the upper year students. Well, some of them at the very least. _

"_Sure. Meet me outside the tapestry of the Rampaging Radship, on the Third floor after classes." Tonks said as they reached the great hall and made their way towards their respective house tables._

-X-

_Tonks laughed heartily at Harry's affronted look, red paint dripping off his face. It had been two weeks since she had started to train together with Harry. Though she didn't teach him some of the spells she was practicing, one thing that she did teach him was that not all duels were staged. Some were downright dirty._

"_You cheated! Again!" Harry spluttered as he wiped the paint off his face unsuccessfully. _

"_And whose fault is it for not learning? Hmm?" Tonks asked merrily. Harry just grumbled in response._

_They were practicing a variant of the standard duels that Aurors had to do. It wasn't common information, but Tonks had it on good authority that Auror Applicants were pitted against each other to show their duelling skills. Tonks wouldn't admit it under the pain of death, but she knew that she wasn't the most graceful of women. Her Metamorphmagus powers gave her an extremely unpredictable centre of gravity. That could be countered by choosing a base form and practicing in it, and before now, Tonks had never had ample reason to stop changing her body on the whims of her mood. And watching Harry's expressions during practice was just a bonus . . . honest._

-X-

Tonks examined the black metal watch that the shopkeeper had told her was quite popular these days. It was something that was similar to Muggle wristwatches and Tonks had figured that Harry would like it. It's silver display, with crescent moons for hands was something that Tonks thought looked quite fashionable.

"I'll take it!" Tonks caught the shopkeepers attention.

"Excellent choice ma'am. Would you like some Enchantments to go with it?" the shopkeeper asked eagerly, hoping to increase his sales.

"No, just the watch." Tonks replied. She would do the Enchantments herself, she figured it would be a nice gesture.

"Ah, very well then. That'll be 16 Galleons."

Tonks was surprised at the steep price, but figured that she wasn't exactly hurting for money. Paying the shopkeeper, Tonks went her way, with a noticeable skip in her step.

-X-

Harry ducked under a Stunner thrown by Hermione, and was just about to jump to the side to better position himself, when Perenelle shouted at them to stop. Harry sighed, a little relieved. Hermione's and Daphne's rate of progress was astounding and Harry feared that he would have to showcase more of his skills, which would inevitably lead to inquisitive questions by Hermione later tonight. He didn't intend to hide this from her; he just thought that it would be better if he talked to her first before he sprung this on her. She wouldn't feel betrayed that way.

After her initial baiting, Perenelle had backed off, apologizing to Hermione, telling her that stressful situations often brought out the best in people. Hermione had accepted her apology, a little abashed at the powerful Vampire's words. But, Harry knew there was more to it.

"Well. It seems that I won't have to do much with regards to your Duelling; we will just add a few hours of Duelling every day to your schedule. You all performed very well, but remember, the spells that you use now are the most basic ones, you will need to learn and practice much more complicated and powerful spells before you can truly start to develop your Duelling style."

The three teens nodded sombrely.

"Well, that's it for today. Make sure that you practice your Occlumency daily, you will need to have it somewhat mastered before we go through with the Gedzetzel Ritual." Perenelle finished her statement firmly.

Harry thought about that. The Gedzetzel Ritual was something that he wasn't looking forward to. It was a complicated process that combined two separate Rituals into one. Basically, it increased the Magical Core of the practitioner, and also increased the Magical Pathways present throughout a Wizard's body. It had it's limitations though, first of all, it could only be performed once a year, and for almost a week following the ritual, the Wizard would be left feeling very weak. It also could be performed by an individual a maximum of three times. Perenelle had informed them that they would be the first minors to perform it.

Harry grimaced slightly as he thought about the obvious pain that the Ritual would cause.

-X-

After arriving back at the Granger household, Harry excused himself to freshen himself up. But, on opening his door he found that there was an owl waiting for him, under Hedwig's stern glare.

Relieving the letter off the owl's letter, and again asking Hedwig to check it over, Harry was surprised to see that Ollivander had written to him.

_Greetings Lord Potter,_

_I write this letter in regards to your commissioned wand. I am happy to say that I have located the final ingredient that will allow me to give birth to my finest creation to date! I can barely control myself. But, I was hoping that you would be willing to assist me on this, as I have a theory that I need confirmed. There's nothing to worry about, though, you may have to consent to go on a trip with me, a maximum of two days is all I ask._

_Hoping for a positive response,_

_Garrick Ollivander._

Harry was intrigued to say the least, and very excited. Quickly fishing the rooms for some parchment and quill, Harry wrote his positive response and tying it to the owl, watched as it flew out the window.

(Chapter End)

A/N:- I'm sorry for the lateness for this update. But . . . never mind. I would really like to know if this chapter was believable? I intend to make Harry OOC, but not too much. It was one of the reasons this chapter took a bit longer . . . please send your thoughts through a review!

Until next time . . . .


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter

**Warnings:**Violence , Gore and Lemons(Much Later)

**Chapter****27**

Harry pulled the cloak fast across his chest, his hands digging farther into his pockets in an attempt to stave off the extremely cold environment that Ollivander's Portkey had deposited them at. He could've used a warming charm on himself, as he was free to use magic outside Hogwarts courtesy of Perenelle, but he felt that the cold kept him mind focused and prevented him from thinking about other things. He was still bothered by the alternate persona that he sometimes saw when he practiced his Occlumency, and he had finally decided that this was something that Perenelle needed to know about. And while he was at it, he had also made the decision to inform her about his wandless abilities, meagre as they were; as well. Hopefully after coming clean to her, she would stop pushing him and the others for answers by deliberately antagonising them during the practice duels, though he didn't harbour much hope in that regard.

But, he had still refrained from telling her his deepest secret. The one thing, which had unnerved him to such a degree, that he had decided to take the drastic action to stop studying as he had. He wasn't about to forget the confrontation that had occurred in the depths of Hogwarts during his First year. The story that he had told Dumbledore, and by extension his friends left out the parts that he felt were something that he would take to his grave.

It shamed him to admit, even in his own mind; but he had been tempted, so very tempted to take Voldemort up on his offer. And maybe, maybe if he proved to be useful enough for him, he would bring back his parents. He had been young then, and everything that he read that first year when he was introduced to magic, made it seem like there was nothing that Magic couldn't do. Voldemort was the most powerful and knowledgeable Dark Lord that Britain had ever seen, so he had thought that maybe his parents could be brought back. But then, Voldemort had overextended his offer, he had complimented him.

'_**You remind me of myself, young Potter.'**_

That more than anything scared him the most. And then, he had been branded a murderer in his own conscience. A murderer at the age of 11. Harry stifled a snort at that thought and then concentrated on the here and now. He had brooded enough about this. He had promised himself that he wouldn't do so again.

Ollivander hadn't informed him of what exactly it was that he was supposed to help Ollivander retrieve, receiving a serious contemplative expression as the only response. To be perfectly honest, he was starting to get a little annoyed by his attitude, and the weather wasn't helping either.

Just as another cold wind drafted across his face and he prepared himself to ask Ollivander what it was that they were supposed to do here, Ollivander stopped.

"Lord Potter, what do you know of Murlocs?" Ollivander asked as he closed his eyes and twitched his fingers slightly, unaware of the annoyed look that Harry shot him for using his formal title while addressing him.

"I don't know much about them." Harry admitted "But, I do know that they live in extremely cold environments, usually in a group."

"True. But the most important fact that you need to know about them is that they are like hoarders. They like their treasures, and the bigger the 'family' that they call themselves part of, the more valuable their treasures."

Harry nodded mutely, not seeing where Ollivander was going with his explanation.

"And the treasure most coveted by Murlocs is what we are here for today." Ollivander elaborated.

"I assume that the treasure that you speak of is Organic in nature? Because as far as I know, only organic materials can be used in the making of a wand." Harry contemplated out loud, his curiosity rattling.

"Correct you are Lord Potter. That's very perceptive of you, I must say." Ollivander chuckled.

"And why did you bring me along? I doubt I could help you in raiding the Murlocs, if that is what you intend to do." Harry asked.

"Ahh. Yes. That requires a much longer explanation. You see, Magic is present everywhere. It remembers things. And one of the things it remembers quite well is battle and victory. Forgive me for my curiosity, but I intend to find out if the same can be said about Wand Cores. You were the one who slayed the Basilisk, and I am curious to see if this fact would have anything to do with Wand Crafting. It could be subtle, but it would be there." Ollivander explained pleasantly.

Harry's eyes widened at Ollivander's implications. He was speaking as if Magic was a living, sentient being. So far he hadn't encountered anything that supported Ollivander's theory, but Ollivander was ancient, odd, but wise nevertheless. It was at that point that he came to horrifying thought.

"You mean to say that I am supposed to retrieve whatever it is that you are after? That's impossible!" Harry exclaimed.

"I'll help of course!" Ollivander said, with far too much cheerfulness in Harry's opinion. He sighed.

"So? Will you tell me what we are after?" Harry asked, in a tone that suggested that he had already resigned himself to his fate but was willing to give it a try.

Ollivander opened his eyes and looked at Harry seriously, "The Heart of a Phoenix."

(Break)

Daphne huffed as she tried keeping up the solid block of dense steel levitated. It was tiring, it left her absolutely exhausted, but knowing that she had improved over yesterday made it all worth it. Shifting uncomfortably in the unfamiliar Muggle clothing, she sighed as she cut off her spell.

She had a lot going on in her mind, and the training that she did everyday was the only thing that was keeping her sane. Merlin knows what would have happened if Hermione and her parents hadn't been so accommodating of her presence. The scholarship provided by Hogwarts would keep her from worrying about attending until she completed her O.W.L's, but after that she would have to fend for herself.

But, even that wasn't her biggest concern. Her parents. They had tried something, she was sure of it. Pot . . . Harry, she quickly corrected herself, was quite a good liar, but she had grown up in a world where lies spewed forth like fire out of a dragon's mouth. The disturbance that night at Hermione's house and the reaction thereafter had simply been too much for it to have been a simple alley cat.

And on top of that were the mystery behind the changes that Harry and more importantly Hermione had gone through. Hermione had told her that she would tell her when she had felt ready. That was two weeks ago. She was willing, but she had a limit dammit!

"Hey Hermione?" she said, getting her attention "Do you know where Harry might have gone off to? And when he might be back?"

"No." Hermione huffed. " He just left a note that he was going on a trip with Ollivander and would be back within 2 days at the most. He could've waited until we woke up at the very least!". The block Hermione was levitating, fumbled slightly in response to Hermione's agitated state.

It was only after Harry's absence that she realized that she was feeling a lot more tense and nervous. Without his overwhelming aura surrounding the area, she felt doubts about her position. His mere presence calmed her down, and it was this thought that scared her more than anything. Things were happening too fast, changing too fast. She was depending on Harry, and even if it was subconsciously, it was unacceptable. She had decided that she would be independent in her decisions, and while she knew that in the future, if she were to get romantically involved with someone it would only be after she was sure that he was the right person for her, and that meant that she would not be a trophy wife at all.

Her breath almost caught in her throat as she saw Perenelle approaching the duo. Merlin! She was one powerful witch. But her pronounced reaction to her presence cemented the fact that she hadn't reacted thusly before only due to Harry's presence. And while it said a lot about Harry's power, it didn't help her at all in the corundum that was her new life.

"That will be all for today. It's Harry's Maturity next week and thus I'll be giving you the following days before the Ritual off. Make sure that you are well rested. Both of you have promise and I would hate to see it wasted away." Perenelle stated and walked off. She appreciated the fact that Perenelle liked to keep things professional. Daphne was sure that she couldn't handle anyone else worming her way into her 'friends' list. She was already having trouble thinking of Pott. . . Harry as one.

(Break)

Hermione knocked politely on the door to her room that Daphne was temporarily occupying. She spied Daphne scouring through the books that she had brought back from the Department.

"Hey. What are you reading?" Hermione asked a smile on her face, but Daphne noted the underlying nervousness that she was trying to hide.

She smiled nevertheless, "Just researching for new spells to improve my duelling."

Hermione 'hmmed' in response, but didn't say anything.

"What?" Daphne asked irritated, as she couldn't stand the silence any longer. Hermione's progressively grinning face suggested that this wasn't the first time that she had attempted to do this.

"I'm thinking of asking Harry to help me with my duelling. . . you know, ask him for ideas and such. He's clearly better at duelling than us." Hermione said.

"Yes." Daphne admitted be-grudgingly. "I honestly didn't expect him to be this good. I had imagined that I was better than him. Though, admittedly he has had more chances to practice and such, what with all the problems you get into together with him."

"Yes, but I think that . . ." Hermione trailed off, not knowing whether to voice her doubts about the secret friendship he had with that Auror, Tonks. Harry had never given any indication that he knew her before.

"Yes?" Daphne prompted at Hermione's continued silence.

"It's nothing." Hermione answered. She continued even as she saw Daphne opening her mouth, no doubt intent on finding out what Hermione was thinking about. "You know, I told you that I would explain what happened to me this summer. You were very forthcoming in telling me about your situation, and I feel that you deserve to know what happened."

Daphne shut her mouth abruptly, realizing that Hermione was blatantly changing the subject, but that topic that she had chosen was much more interesting that finding out what Hermione was referring to earlier.

"It all started . . ." Hermione began.

(Break)

"Excuse me?" Harry asked Ollivander, sure that he had misheard what the Wand Crater had said.

"The treasure most sought after by Murlocs is the Heart of a Phoenix, Lord Potter. No one has been able to find out how exactly it is that they obtain this treasure, but it is undoubtedly recorded that the 'family' of Murlocs that obtain it are considered to be the most prestigious amongst the Murlocs. And as such, I was able to find out if any such Murloc 'family' existed. If I am not thoroughly mistaken, this particular family obtained the Heart shortly before you were born." Ollivander explained to a very surprised Harry.

Truthfully, Harry wasn't as sure of his chances as he was before Ollivander had told him that Murlocs kept the Heart of a Phoenix as a treasure. Phoenixes were immortal beings, and anything that was capable of harvesting its Heart commanded a presence to be sufficiently wary of. He still wasn't completely comfortable with the idea of the Heart used to make a tool for him. Though, he had spent sufficient time in the magical world to know that a person's wand was considered to be a part of them, not a piece of wood to cast magic with and Harry was somewhat of the same opinion. But, he would make sure that Hedwig was okay with what Ollivander was proposing, before he gave his all clear to him.

"Why go after it now? If you had known about it all along, why wait until now to get it?" Harry asked, his tone suggesting that nothing but the truth would satisfy him. Harry had enough kept from him, and given his recent thoughts about not hiding himself for the sake of finding acceptance; he was determined to know everything that was to do with him.

Ollivander observed the young Vampire with an appraising eye. After meeting his impassive but slightly threatening gaze for a few moments longer, he inclined his acceptance.

"I simply had no reason to. I live my life making wands for the young ones, and until now I never felt the need to retrieve this particular core. And I have a feeling that this would make a fine focus for your wand." Ollivander explained meeting Harry's gaze steadily, willing to see his truthfulness.

"Thank you for telling me." Harry nodded. "Shall we get going?"

(Break)

"Are you absolutely certain we are doing this?" Harry asked as he glanced again at the small outcropping infested with the Murloc 'family' nervously. They were on the shore of a huge frozen lake, with the small hill jutting out from the ground. Ollivander had cautioned him that while the hill might appear to be small, there were more than a hundred Murlocs present here. Harry figured that they might have a tunnel system inside the hill.

"There's no reason to worry, Lord Potter. Murlocs while fearsome warriors with their knives and various weapons are not altogether blessed with intelligence. Watch." Ollivander commented and waved his wand in a fairly complicated pattern. Harry intently watched the general area that Ollivander was pointing at, looking for any signs of the spell that Ollivander had cast.

8 chests, beautifully adorned with gems and made of gold were on the ground in front of them. Harry was suitably impressed with Ollivander's conjuration. While a mere imitation and a construct of magic, Harry knew for a fact that if sold in the muggle world it would be worth a fortune. He had a better respect for Mr. Weasley's job now. Making sure that no such occurrences took place in Britain was a mean feat. He observed as Ollivander brought out a leather pouch from inside his robes, he proceeded to fill the chests with treasure and with that done, sprinkled a liberal amount of potion on the treasure and the chests as well.

"What potion is that?" Harry asked curiously.

Ollivander laughed heartily, "It's a secret recipe of mine. Nick helped me with its development. Without going into specifics, it will cause the Murlocs here to fall asleep."

Harry was impressed. Even with his passable ability in potions he recognized the strength of such a concoction. Sleeping draughts were known to fail against individuals with fierce willpower and magical strength, and magical creatures in general were highly resistant to magic.

Ollivander levitated the chests into place at various random locations around the hill. Harry felt a little wary of Ollivander's actions. No matter how stupid these Murlocs were supposed to be, it would end badly for them if they overtly underestimated these creatures. Harry knew how it was to be underestimated, and knew of the freedom and power it offered the underestimated party. Though, there would be no problem in underestimating someone who didn't have the smarts to take advantage of that position.

"Look carefully, Lord Potter. The Murlocs have begun moving." Ollivander whispered clearly.

Harry _was_ looking, but didn't know how it was that Ollivander knew that the Murlocs had begun moving. He couldn't see anything. Remembering the way he had felt the presence of the various members at Hermione's house on the night of the fiasco, Harry concentrated on feeling the presences again. Much like before, something clicked into place and suddenly Harry was assaulted with an overwhelming presence of . . . frogs, fishes, he didn't know what he was feeling. But one thing was sure, whatever they were, they were moving and fast. It seemed like Ollivander's prediction of the size of the family was a bit off. Whatever was living inside the hill was numerous.

As soon as Harry saw his very first Murloc, he immediately understood the presence that he had felt. Murlocs were a cross between fishes and frogs . . . somewhat. Wielding short swords, shields and various other weapons, they marched out in droves and after inspecting the chests, did a weird dance, their voice grating against Harry's eardrums.

"They sure move fast." Harry commented as he watched them carry their treasure back inside.

"They are very serious about their treasures after all. If we didn't have this potion, it would take a couple dozen able wizards to successfully raid a Murloc Cave. Many communities simply find it easier to leave them be, and only confront them when they attack." Ollivander informed him. Harry had a very weird thought that maybe Ollivander would make an excellent Care of Magical Creatures Professor. Harry almost snorted before he could finish his thought. What they were about to do could hardly be classified as 'caring' for Magical creatures.

"Well, we have many hours to kill. So Lord Potter, tell me . . ."

(Break)

Perenelle was contemplating the recent conversation that she had with Harry. It had left her confused and concerned, which was needless to say, not something that she felt often. This alternate self, had alarmed her at first, but after conducting various scans, that revealed that he was free of any part of Voldemort's soul, not under any mind or personality altering spells, and had explained to a relieved looking Harry (though he had tried his best to hide this fact from her, she thought amusedly) that he wasn't turning into a psychopath, nor going insane. She did however advise him to stop going through the memories about the last war that he had borrowed from her, and offered him the choice to only practice Occlumency when she was present. He had declined the last one.

Another thing that had intrigued her was that Harry could apparently use his magic to summon, banish, and levitate objects at will, but couldn't perform _any_ other spell. And the way Harry had described it, he wasn't simply thinking out the incantations in his mind of the specific spell at all. The best comparison was Telekinesis, but it being a fictional concept, even in the Magical world, didn't provide any basis for comparison. She had assured that she would help him in coming up with suitable ideas to train his power, and Harry had left, satisfied.

But, she was pleased that Harry had come forth about it to her on his own accord. She knew that Harry had trust issues, and it showed that she had made some progress with him in that regard. It would go a long way if cultivated right. It was the first time that Harry had chosen to ask her help, not out of compulsion, but out of trust, meagre as it might be. Despite the short while that she had 'known' him, she was surprised at herself that he had grown to be so close to her. There was just something about him that stirred her long-ignored compassion. Or maybe she just wanted to sleep with him, maybe both, she wasn't sure. She knew that she was attracted to power, and Nick had no problems with her warming another man's bed (though it had been decades since she had last done that) but she knew Harry would be freaked out if she even suggested the thought of sleeping with her, and despite the potential amusement that situation might create, Perenelle refrained from entertaining such thoughts any further. Maybe after Voldemort was defeated and Harry had a chance to grow, a celebratory shag, yeah. . . that sounded nice.

Putting such thoughts out of her mind for the time being, she took another sip of the whiskey that she was enjoying. The reason for her drinking in the middle of the day; not that she ever needed one, was the ever increasing desire of the Elves that she was harbouring, to meet Harry. She now regretted ever telling them about Harry. But, she felt that it would help out Harry a lot in the long run.

She and her husband had run across this particular community of elves on one of their travels. The married duo had been amazed at their find. High Elves. Elves as they were thought of to have been before the whole race had been enslaved nearly 2 centuries before her birth, but this community had weathered the curse magnificently. They had attributed their survival to their Priestess Arya, who had exhausted her magic and thus, her life to protect her fellow elves from the more harmful aspects of the curse. She had managed to save 13 of her people. 4 Males and 9 Females. But there had been a terrible price, they had lost their knowledge, their own brand of Magic replaced by the powers that the curse had 'rewarded' them with.

Elves were very vain creatures, and thus their beauty was precious to them. They were much like Vampires in that regard. But, apart from that there was one crucial aspect of the curse that Arya had managed to save her people from. They had to bound to a magical being, Arya couldn't change that aspect but she had managed to alter the curse enough that her people would be able to choose who their Masters were. They would retain their own personalities, their minds wouldn't be totally devoted to their Masters, but their loyalty was unquestionable.

Perenelle herself was bonded to 4 of the Elves as their Mistress, 2 male elves and 2 females. 6 of the others had chosen not to stay at one spot and were intent on travelling the world to find their Masters. That left her and the other Elves to take care of the 3 that were left. The youngest Elves of the community that were only children at the time of her find. They were content with living their lives alongside the Flamel's but for the past couple of decades, had been feeling the need to go search for their own Master but were not too eager to leave their current lives behind. Having grown up in a sheltered life, they knew enough about the world to take care of themselves, but were not too eager to leave the safety of companions.

When news had reached them that Perenelle had taken on and Apprentice and on knowing that he was a Vampire, they had immediately expressed an interest in meeting him and gauging him to find out if he was a worthy Master for them.

Perenelle had no doubt that they would choose to bond to Harry. They were attracted to power, and power was one thing that Harry had in spades. The elves were a little too simple minded in that respect.

(Break)

Harry listened intently as Ollivander taught him a few spells that he told Harry were effective against Murlocs. The first was the first secondary elemental spell that Harry had never encountered or even heard about. He had been confused when just prior to telling Harry about the spell, he had started chuckling, a sound Harry swore was something that rather fitted the various mad-scientist scenarios that were popular in the Muggle world.

He had scowled when he had learned why it was that he was giggling. The spell that Ollivander was talking about produced a lightning-bolt. A fairly difficult, magic heavy spell it might be, but against Murlocs a single hit with that spell would ensure that the creature would be knocked out for a long time. When Harry had asked if the spell also worked against wizards, Ollivander had gave him a curious look and nodded silently. And then he had proceeded to tell him that while it didn't knock out humans, the effects weren't, in Ollivander's words, 'pleasant'.

"Though I would appreciate it if you wouldn't mention that I taught you any spells, Lord Potter. Penny doesn't like others interfering in her plans." Ollivander told Harry a tad bit nervous. Harry had looked at him quizzically, but nodded none the less.

Harry had spent a couple of hours trying to get the spell to work, and after successfully casting a thin bolt of bright blue lightning, had proceeded practicing it to get a feel for the spell and mastering the wand movements. Ollivander had appraised Harry's dedication to learning the spell and jokingly asked who he was planning to 'fry'. Needless to say Harry wasn't amused at his crass humour, and quipped that he was planning to use it on Ollivander if his 'secret' potion didn't do the job. Ollivander had shut up after that.

As Harry continued to practice, taking note that he didn't exhaust himself unnecessarily, Ollivander watched him practice. He was unlike any of the more common wizards in this day and age. Generally, when a wizard fails to get a spell to work for them, they quickly give up on it. There were many alternatives to get the work done, and it led them to find another spell that might work. It was the same at Hogwarts, a majority of the students only did the spell work during the hour assigned. Truly dedicated students found a way around the rule of not casting any spells outside of class. Ollivander understood the need to maintain discipline, a bunch of students casting spells left, right and centre would be a nightmare. Their narrow mindedness boggled him, but when pointed out, they would quote rules, inferiority, and anything else under the sun to avoid being labelled as incompetent. Some students were able to identify this, and would try to help; others used them to their own advantage.

He was impressed by his progress with the spell. It was humbling, while Harry didn't have the same skill with the spell as him, he knew that if given time, perhaps a year of liberal practice, he would surpass Ollivander owing to his huge reserves and determination. Ollivander prayed to the heavens that in the future, Harry didn't develop the same sadistic streak as Penny. She was vicious while duelling her opponents, often leaving them begging for death.

A few hours later, Ollivander informed Harry that the potion should have had enough time to seep throughout the underhill caves. Taking a few breaths to calm himself down, Harry followed beside Ollivander.

(Break)

Harry winced as he tried to put less strain on his left leg, and kept his arm rigid to lessen the throbbing pain that was shooting up his forearm. Ollivander's potion had worked, but not all of the Murlocs were put to sleep, and as a result Harry got a lot of practice casting his recently learned spell to keep himself from being skewered. His frustration was further compounded by the fact that Ollivander was as unharmed as before they had entered the caves. The old geezer had no trouble keeping the Murlocs surrounding him at bay, while Harry was struggling. But, for a third year graduate, he supposed he had done well enough. Better that he would have done a few months ago. He took what comfort he could in that fact.

He cast his gaze at the item that he had been dragged off to retrieve. It was surprisingly small, but that might be because he was comparing it to human hearts, he had no idea what size hearts Phoenixes possessed. He hoped that this Phoenix didn't have its heart harvested after it had gone through a burning day, that would be too cruel. He knew that he was obsessed over protecting Hedwig while she was small and couldn't fly.

He stifled a groan as his hunger assaulted him again. Suddenly he was very aware of the warm blooded person standing in front of him. He quashed it with difficulty. He needed to get out of here, fast. He had some freely flowing wounds that were covered up by his robes. Immediately, Hermione's face flashed thorough his mind. He groaned again.

"Erm, Lord Potter, would you prefer a Portkey or Apparition to go back to my shop?" Ollivander asked wincing slightly at the glare he got as an answer. It was a few moments before he answered curtly.

"Apparition"

(Break)

They had been sitting in silence, for how long she didn't know, the rapidity of the thoughts flying through her head made it difficult for her to gauge an accurate reading on the time passed. Daphne was still trying to wrap her head around the news that Hermione had given her.

Hermione's very existence broke every known rule she was aware of. She was a Vampire, no doubt about that. But, there was no doubt that she could use magic. In hindsight, Daphne mused, there were many indications about this fact. Her increased beauty, her stamina. She was sure that if it came to it, she would witness her increased strength as well. But the thought that she had been a Vampire hadn't crossed her mind. She had been thinking along the lines of some obscure Ritual that she had performed. Hermione was quite adept at research after all.

She stole another glance at her friend. She had never known Hermione to sit quietly for such a long time and not have a book in her hand. She was thankful that she didn't make eye contact. She wasn't sure what she felt about this revelation. She wondered if she had been better off not knowing. She shook her head, she was rambling. There were a few questions she had to ask.

"Are you happy? With Harry turning you, I mean." Daphne cursed in her mind. She hadn't had trouble forming sentences in her mind. Speaking them aloud was a whole different matter.

Hermione was quick to reply. "I'd have preferred it if we weren't attacked of course, but, considering the circumstances, I'm glad that I have Harry to rely on, and he has me."

Daphne considered her response for a moment. It was clear to see that Hermione was interested in dating Harry. She could only assume that Hermione was just waiting for his Maturity. It was a logical thing, if they started dating and Harry had a different girl that his magic decided was better suited for him, it wouldn't last. She moved on to her next question.

"You're I-Immortal?" Daphne cursed herself again.

"Well, yes. But, to be honest I haven't given that a lot of thought." Hermione elaborated on seeing Daphne's incredulous expression. "We're training to fight Voldemort Daphne, there can't be any guarantees. Right now, I'm just taking every day as it comes."

Daphne nodded solemnly. She could understand that. Merlin knew she could never hope to understand anything about being a Vampire. Not without asking jarring intrusive questions.

"Do you . . . you know, drink blood?"

Hermione gave her a long stare.

"Right."

( Break )

It was past midnight when Harry was done helping Ollivander craft his wand. The excitement of owning a wand that Ollivander assured him was better suited for him than the one he had procured when he was 11 was enough of a distraction to curb his hunger. HE just hoped that Hermione wasn't done with her Occlumency exercises just yet.

Using his long honed skills to move about silently, his thoughts went down a path that was not often taken. He didn't like thinking about growing up with the Dursleys, he held anger towards them for their treatment, of that there was no doubt. But, something Perenelle had spoken to him about kept coming back to him. Harry knew that he was a hot tempered person, but it was difficult for him not to get angry. Perenelle had noticed this, and had addressed some pointers that she said would eventually help him control his anger.

'_Never let hate fester in your mind Harry. Holding a grudge for too long has much more dire consequences than taking care of it in a timely and appropriate manner. You have led a difficult life than most growing up, but always remember, there will be someone out there that has faced worse. I say that not to invalidate your experience, but to teach you that thinking long about it can serve no purpose. I will not give you examples as without experiencing them yourself, one cannot claim to understand.'_

Predictably, Harry had stormed out after her 'insight'. Thinking about it calmly, he admitted that he could have handled the situation better. He had apologised to her, and she had waved it off, telling him that she had expected it and had done so to make a point. He had stormed off again after that, but at the very least it was after they had been done for the day. He wished she wouldn't rile him up on purpose so often.

Yes, the Dursleys had been horrible to him, but they hadn't turned him away. He guessed he owed him at least that much. Reaching the front door to Hermione's house, he silently dispersed the Disillusionment Charm on himself and entered. Spying the light under Hermione's door, he was thankful that Hermione was so religious in her schedule. It made it easier for him to find her when he needed her for anything, whether at Hogwarts of here.

"Hermione, its Harry. Open up." Harry said as he knocked softly on the door.

"I thought that I felt your presence. Funny I didn't hear you come in though." Hermione smiled at him and moved to give him passage into her room.

"It's something I picked up living with the Dursleys." Harry said as way of explanation. Hermione looked surprised for a moment but covered it up. Form the time she had known Harry, she could recall every instance that Harry had talked to her about his relatives. Such thoughts were put out of her mind as she looked at him closely. He was positively shuffling towards the bed, and seemed to have a slight limp.

"Harry, are you hurt?" Hermione asked as she followed him to examine him.

"A little. You won't believe the day I had today." Harry answered as he sunk down on the bed. He took a deep breath and sighed. He couldn't hold out any longer. He stilled her next question by holding up his hands and gestured her to come closer. He was thankful that Hermione knew him enough that he didn't have to explain what he wanted. That would have been embarrassing.

"Hermione, I might not be able to stop today, so if you feel as if I drink too much I want you to tell me, okay?" Harry said giving her an intent look.

"Hermione nodded silently, a red hue spreading across her cheeks.

As his fangs elongated, and his mouth filled with Hermione's lifeblood, he relaxed. He again tried his best to ignore the noises Hermione made every time he did this, but failed miserably. He again wondered why this was so. He drank more from her than usual, sating his hunger. He stopped of his own accord, but his eyes widened as he looked at Hermione.

Her eyes held a glazed look in them and suddenly Harry was very aware that their faces were entirely too close to each other. He didn't move a muscle, one part panicked, one part excited. He brought up his hands to her shoulders, but kept them there neither pushing nor pulling. He simply waited for Hermione. The distance between their lips shortened excruciatingly slowly, and then he felt Hermione's soft lips on his own. Instinctively, one of his hands dropped to wrap up her waist and the other rose up to gently cup her face. It was everything he could have wanted for his first kiss.

Hermione became aware enough of her senses as she felt Harry's thumb gently stroking her cheek. Then came the overwhelming realization of what she couldn't stop herself from doing anymore. She separated her lips from Harry's, but stayed in place.

"Harry. . ." She whispered, she looked intently into his expressive eyes. She could clearly see some apprehension, but over that was happiness that she knew must be shining in her own eyes. "I-I need to . . ." She tried stepping back, but found that it wasn't possible as Harry still had a firm hold around her waist. She started slightly as she heard Harry made a sound that sent shivers down her spine and suddenly he was kissing her again. She surrendered herself to the sensations and Harry had to support her slightly as her knees became unable to support her weight.

Harry was the one who lifted his face up slightly, he grinned roguishly. "You were saying?"

"Oh sod it!" She smashed their lips together again.

(Break)

Harry woke up quite early the next morning, and as was quickly become the norm, Hedwig was looking down at him from where she was perched on the headboard of his bed.

"*Good morning, Harry*"

Harry quickly glanced at the window, "So it is." He smiled widely. Hermione and he had talked after their kiss, not much, as they had been pretty tired last night, and Harry had eventually asked her if she would like to go out on a date with him today. She had agreed happily, and they had kissed some more.

Despite yesterday's adventures, he was back to full health today and he thanked Merlin for having a Vampire's constitution. By fortunate circumstances, he was scheduled to meet Sirius and Remus today. The Goblins had informed him that Potter Manor had been fully reconstructed and the Goblins had finished applying the standard wards befitting the ancestral home of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter. Any further improvements on the wards needed to be applied by the resident family, and would need a permit from the Ministry.

While Harry was excited to see the house where his father had lived during his childhood, he had no intention of staying there. His father had his own home in Godric's Hollow, and he intended to buy a place for himself. He had cut a deal with the Goblins at Gringotts, for an increased share of the profits of the House of Potter, they would procure a purely 'Muggle' house for him, 'off the records' so to speak. It might have been a childhood fantasy of his, but he had decided to indulge himself.

He saw that he still had a few hours before he needed to start getting ready to visit Gringotts before meeting Remus at the Leaky Cauldron at 11 o'clock. Deciding that he could use this time to perform his Occlumency exercises that he had neglected to perform last night.

(Break)

After he was done, and relaxed himself to get out of the meditative state, he felt his stomach drop, and groaned at the familiar sensation.

"_Hello again."_

"_Would you stop doing that?" Harry asked his alter, annoyed at the interference._

"_Hell no." Alter quipped back._

"_What are you?" Harry asked and continued in a raised voice as he say him about to reply "You've already told me you're my instincts, but as far as I know, instincts can't take a form as you have. They can't have a consciousness. So tell me, truthfully, What Are You?"_

"_But what about memories? What of them?" Alter asked smirking widely at the perplexed expression on Harry's face. He threw him another bone. "What if I have my own memories?"_

"_Stop your nonsense. You only know what I do!" Harry snapped._

"_Ah, but that's where you are wrong Harry. So very wrong. I know things that you would, could, never imagine. By the way, I have to say your performance yesterday was pathetic." Alter said condescendingly._

"_What!?" Harry asked his tone dangerous. He was angry and had nowhere near the concentration that he would need to meditate. Still he didn't wake up. This was another of the reasons that he hated when he was confronted by 'whatever' this person was. He didn't seem to have any control here._

"_How you could let those filthy fish-frog wannabes lay hands upon you? I confess myself disappointed." Alter shook his head in mock disappointment. "Though, you did redeem yourself a bit late yesterday night." He smirked as Harry's eyes glowed brilliantly._

"_What Do You Want?" Harry spoke haltingly, supressing his urge to lash out violently against him._

"_Me?" Alter asked, pointing at himself putting a gobsmacked expression on his face. "Why that's quite simple. I want __**Everything**__."_

_Harry scowled. "Care to elaborate?"_

"_Not particularly." Alter waved his hands dismissively. "More importantly, what are going to do about Tonks?"_

_Harry stiffened. He didn't like where this was going. _

"_You like her. But you like Hermione too. Daphne's also turning out to be a good friend. She's not quite the submissive type, but that can be so exciting!" Alter had a manic gleam in his eyes._

"_You're a foul creature, Alter. I don't want to talk anymore." Harry glared hard at him._

"_Fine, ruin my fun." Alter pouted._

"_Stop that, it looks disgusting." Harry grimaced, massaging his forehead._

"_I'm sure the girls wouldn't think so." Alter grinned mischievously._

"_Enough!" Harry said coldly, and held out his hand in his direction. Alter was hurled backwards till he dissipated into the distance._

"_Fine, fine. We'll talk later Harry. See you soon, oh! And a piece of advice, wear your cream shirt on your date tonight, I'm sure Hermione will love that."_

_Harry balled his fists and cursed wonderfully._

(Break)

Harry's foul mood evaporated as soon as he opened his eyes and was greeted by the sight of Hermione sitting on the bed, Hedwig perched on her knees.

"Good morning Hermione." Harry said as he got up, and only hesitating briefly pecked her cheek. Hermione's smile shone on her face, and Harry was tempted to pick up where they left off last night, but resisted.

"So got any plans for the morning?" Harry asked her.

"Nothing in particular. What'd you have in mind?"

"Well, the Goblins have finished with the restoration of Potter Manor. I'm meeting up with Professor Lupin and Sirius before we go visit."

Hermione heard his silent plea, and replied, "I'd love to come along Harry. It'd be nice to see them again. And I would get to see what the Wizarding world considers a 'proper' Wizarding Manor."

Harry snorted. "I doubt that. From what little Sirius has told me, the Potters have always been considered as rebels, but they had enough power and prestige that the more 'anti-Muggle' of the Purebloods were willing to overlook that 'stain'." He sniffed derisively, in a manner very similar to Malfoy.

Hermione giggled. "So _Lord_ Potter, where are you taking me out tonight?"

Harry shook his head, "You'll have to wait and see. Though I do hope you'll give me due warning if I begin screwing it up."

"I'm sure I'll like whatever you've planned." Hermione smiled at him warmly. "What time do we have to leave?"

"In a few hours. I have to go to Gringotts before I meet up with Professor Lupin."

Hermione chewed her lips in thought, and on catching Harry's inquisitive look asked, "Do you mind if Daphne comes along as well? I think that she's been feeling a little cooped up."

"I don't mind, she knows about Sirius and I don't think you'd remain on good terms with her if she was one of the Slytherins who were in the habit of mocking Professor Lupin. You can ask her to come along." Harry smiled.

(Chapter End)

**A/N :- First of all, I apologize for the long and unplanned hiatus. I was going through a rough phase in my life and it has only been a few weeks since it has stabilized. I won't bore you with the details, but rest assured that I will never abandon this story. The next chapter will be out sometime in January.**

**I feel that my writing is a bit rusty and I may have botched up a few details, please feel free to point out any inconsistencies. I'll be sure to correct any un-intentional ones.**

**On another note, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of my readers.**

**Review your thoughts, ciao! **


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